Welcome to the community! I just want to echo what others have said about not giving up on the appeal process. I work as a financial aid counselor at a community college, and I've seen so many families successfully overturn PLUS loan denials, especially when medical debt is involved. The key things that seem to make appeals successful are: 1) Clear documentation showing you've addressed the debt (payment plans, settlements, etc.), 2) A well-written letter explaining the circumstances were beyond your control, and 3) following up if you don't hear back within their stated timeframe. Also, don't forget that if your appeal is approved, you'll need to complete the PLUS credit counseling online before the funds can be disbursed - it's just a 20-30 minute session but it's required. Wishing your family the best outcome!

Hey Steven! I'm so glad to see your update and that you're making real progress with this situation. As someone who went through a similar PLUS loan denial appeal process two years ago (also due to medical collections), I wanted to share a few additional tips that might help while you're waiting: 1. Keep copies of everything you submitted - appeals can sometimes get "lost" in the system 2. Mark your calendar for day 12-13 of business days to follow up if you haven't heard anything 3. If your appeal gets approved, they'll email you about the credit counseling requirement, but you can actually complete it proactively at studentaid.gov to save time Also, huge kudos to your daughter's financial aid office for being flexible about letting her start with the additional unsubsidized loan! Not all schools are that accommodating. The fact that you have your sister as a potential endorser backup plan shows you're thinking ahead - that's exactly the right approach. Medical debt appeals actually have pretty good success rates since the Department of Education recognizes these are often unavoidable circumstances. Keeping my fingers crossed for you! Please update us when you hear back - success stories really do help other families in similar situations feel less alone in this process.

I just wanted to add one more thing that might help - when you're gathering documentation, make sure you also have records of any untaxed income you might have received in 2023. This could include things like assistance for your mother's care, any cash support, or other benefits that didn't require tax filing. The FAFSA will ask about untaxed income separately from your tax filing status, so even though you didn't file taxes, you'll still need to report any income you received that year. This ensures your daughter's aid calculation is as accurate as possible and helps avoid issues during verification. Also, don't stress too much about the complexity of your situation - financial aid offices deal with non-traditional families all the time, and they're usually very helpful once you get connected with the right person. Good luck with everything!

One more tip that might save you headaches down the road - when you submit your FAFSA, screenshot or print every page before you finalize it. I learned this the hard way when my daughter's school asked me to verify information I had entered, but I couldn't remember exactly what I had put down for certain questions. Also, if your daughter ends up getting selected for verification (which is pretty common), don't panic! It's usually just routine and doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Just be ready with all your documentation and respond quickly to any requests from the financial aid office. Your situation is definitely manageable - you've got great advice from everyone here and it sounds like you're being thorough about getting everything right. Your daughter is lucky to have someone advocating for her education like this!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my daughter's junior year! I was so confused when the Parent PLUS application only had fields for one parent - I literally called my sister who went through this process a few years ago to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. She told me the same thing everyone here is saying: it's completely normal and only one parent can be the borrower. What really helped me understand it was thinking of it like any other loan - when you get a car loan or mortgage, even if you're married, typically only one person is the primary borrower (though you can have co-signers). The Parent PLUS works the same way. I ended up being the borrower since I have slightly better credit than my husband, but either way would have been fine. Don't worry - you did everything correctly!

As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm that you absolutely did everything correctly! The Parent PLUS loan is designed as a single-borrower loan, which is actually different from how many families expect it to work. The confusion is totally understandable because the FAFSA considers both parents' financial information for dependency status and aid calculations, but the PLUS loan itself can only have one borrower. Your husband will be the sole legal borrower on this loan, and the approval will be based entirely on his creditworthiness. Even though you're married and may jointly contribute to payments, only he is legally obligated to repay the debt. This structure actually provides some benefits - if approved, you have the federal loan protections, and if he were to pass away or become permanently disabled, the loan could be discharged. You made the right choice having the parent with better credit apply!

So glad to hear you got it resolved! That missing signature issue is super common - happened to my roommate last year too. Just wanted to add that when you send back that correction form, definitely use certified mail like Marcus suggested, and maybe even include a cover letter referencing your original submission date and the agent's name if you got it. Also, keep copies of everything! The two-week extension from your school sounds reasonable given all the processing delays this year. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly from here! 🤞

As a newcomer dealing with FAFSA issues myself, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm so relieved to see that Sophia got her situation resolved. I've been struggling with a similar problem - submitted my paper FAFSA in March and haven't heard anything back. Reading about the missing signature issue makes me wonder if that might be my problem too, since my mom was rushing when she filled out her section. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service to get through to FSA and check on my application status. It's frustrating that paper applications have so many more complications, but at least now I know there are ways to get help and that schools are being understanding about the delays this year. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and advice!

One more thing to consider - when you say she qualifies for "all of the Pell Grant," the maximum Pell for 2025-2026 is expected to be around $7,395. Combined with the $20K merit scholarship, that's $27,395 in gift aid that doesn't need to be repaid. On top of that, she'll likely be offered subsidized loans (around $3,500 for freshmen), and potentially unsubsidized loans as well. If her SAI is low enough, the school may also offer institutional grants to cover more of the gap. After the financial aid package arrives, if there's still a significant gap, you can always appeal the financial aid offer, especially if there are any special circumstances not reflected in the FAFSA.

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I can confirm that merit and need-based aid can definitely stack, but the devil is in the details! My daughter received a $15K merit scholarship and still kept her full Pell Grant plus subsidized loans. However, her institutional need-based grant from the school was reduced by about $8K. The key questions to ask the financial aid office are: 1. "What is your scholarship displacement policy?" 2. "Will outside/merit scholarships reduce institutional grants dollar-for-dollar?" 3. "Are there any aid sources that are protected from displacement?" Also, since you mentioned Illinois and the $60K total cost - definitely apply for the MAP grant ASAP if she hasn't already! The funding runs out quickly each year, but it can be worth several thousand for Pell-eligible students. One last tip: if the final aid package still leaves a big gap, don't be afraid to negotiate. We successfully appealed our daughter's package by explaining some financial circumstances that weren't fully captured in the FAFSA, and they increased her institutional grant by $3K per year.