As someone who works in higher education administration, I want to echo what others have said - you're definitely not out of luck! Dual enrollment funding typically comes from state appropriations or district partnerships rather than federal financial aid. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. Contact your daughter's high school guidance office - they should have all the details about how dual enrollment is funded in your district 2. Ask the college about their "high school partnership" or "dual credit" programs specifically 3. Inquire about summer session discounts for high school students Many colleges offer significant tuition reductions for dual enrollment students even when there isn't full funding available. Some charge as little as $50-100 per credit hour compared to regular tuition rates. Also, don't forget that even if you pay out of pocket for summer classes, those credits could save thousands later when she's in college full-time. You're still being financially smart by getting her started early!

I just wanted to add that you might also want to check if your state has a dual enrollment scholarship program. I'm in Texas and we have the Texas Dual Credit Scholarship that covers tuition and fees for eligible students - completely separate from FAFSA. Many states have similar programs that are income-based or merit-based. Your state's department of education website should have information about these opportunities. Also, some employers offer education benefits that can be used for dependents' dual enrollment courses - worth checking if you or your spouse have any tuition assistance benefits through work!

They said they're trying to get all aid packages out by April 10th, which is cutting it close for the May 1 decision deadline. But they also mentioned they're being flexible with deposits this year because of all the FAFSA delays. Might be worth asking your schools about deadline extensions!

As someone who just went through this exact same confusion last month, I can confirm what others are saying - those tax request emails are incredibly misleading! My daughter's FAFSA showed processed on March 5th, but we didn't get the tax confirmation email until March 22nd. I panicked thinking something was wrong, but it turns out it's just their system sending delayed notifications. The key thing to remember is that if your status shows "processed" on studentaid.gov, your information has already been sent to the colleges. I'd recommend calling your daughter's top choice schools directly to confirm they received her FAFSA - that's the only way to get real peace of mind with how unreliable the FSA communication has been this year!

Just wanted to share my experience from a few years back - I was in almost the exact same situation! Filed taxes late and panicked about the FAFSA timing. I ended up submitting manually and it all worked out fine. One thing that really helped was creating a spreadsheet with all our tax numbers before entering them into the FAFSA - made it easier to spot any mistakes and also gave me a reference when I had to do the correction later with the DRT. Also, don't stress too much about verification if it happens. The schools are used to dealing with it and the financial aid officers are generally pretty helpful. You're being proactive by asking these questions, so you're already ahead of the game!

I went through this exact situation two years ago! Filed our taxes super late and was panicking about the FAFSA deadline. Here's what I learned: definitely submit now with manual entry rather than risk missing priority deadlines. The key is being absolutely meticulous with your numbers - I actually had my spouse double-check every single figure I entered. When our taxes were finally processed by the IRS (took about 7 weeks), I went back and used the correction feature to pull in the official data via DRT. Yes, we got selected for verification, but it was honestly not as scary as I thought it would be. Just had to send copies of our tax return and W-2s to the school's financial aid office. The whole process added maybe 2-3 weeks to our timeline, but my daughter still got her aid package in time for fall enrollment. The financial aid officer even told me that manually entering tax info is super common and they're used to handling it. Don't let the late tax filing derail your daughter's financial aid - you've got this!

I went through this exact situation with my son two years ago! Here's what worked for us: I called each college's financial aid office directly and explained the situation upfront. Most were very understanding and walked me through their specific process. The key thing I learned is that different schools handle this differently - some required more documentation than others. Also, don't worry too much about the insurance payments he makes - as long as you estimate them honestly and explain you don't have exact amounts, that should be fine. The important thing is showing you've made good faith efforts to get his information and that you're the de facto sole parent. Start reaching out to those financial aid offices now - they'd rather help you navigate this than have you miss deadlines!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share what happened with my neighbor who went through something very similar last year. She had been the sole caretaker for years but her ex was still legally considered a parent. What really helped her case was getting a letter from her daughter's school counselor confirming that she was the only parent who had ever been involved - attending parent-teacher conferences, handling emergencies, etc. She also got statements from her daughter's doctors and therapist confirming the same thing. The financial aid offices were much more receptive when she had multiple third-party professionals backing up her story. One tip she shared: when you call the financial aid offices, ask specifically about their "professional judgment" process - that's the official term they use, and it shows you understand the system. Good luck with everything!

Just want to add my experience from last year - we had a similar retirement account mixup and I was panicking about the May 1st deadline too. Here's what worked for us: After the FAFSA correction showed "processed" on studentaid.gov (took about 4 days), I sent a brief email to each school's financial aid office with my daughter's student ID and explained we had corrected an asset reporting error that significantly lowered our SAI. I then followed up with phone calls 2-3 days later. Most schools were really understanding and confirmed they'd use the updated information. One school even expedited their review process when I explained our timeline concerns. The key was being specific about what changed (retirement account incorrectly reported as asset) and polite but persistent. Don't stress too much - schools deal with FAFSA corrections all the time, especially during peak season. Just make sure you follow up proactively rather than assuming they'll catch the update automatically. Good luck with your daughter's aid packages!

I'm going through this exact situation right now! My son is a high school senior and we just realized we made the same retirement account mistake on our FAFSA. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful - it sounds like the key is being proactive once the correction is processed. One thing I'm wondering about - for those who called the schools, did you find it better to call the main financial aid number or try to reach a specific counselor? Our state flagship has been impossible to get through to on the phone, but some of the smaller private schools have been more responsive. Also, has anyone had experience with schools actually changing an aid package after getting corrected information? I'm hoping our mistake correction will qualify my son for more aid, but I'm not sure if schools revisit packages they've already finalized or if we missed the boat. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't find in the official guides!