I remember when my first kid went to college in 2011, I was SHOCKED at how easy it was for him to get loans without me. I thought for sure they'd need a parent signature beyond just the FAFSA, but nope! The system just... gives teenagers thousands of dollars with basically no financial education. Then we wonder why there's a student loan crisis? SMH.

This whole situation is exactly why I think families need better financial aid counseling! Your older son got federal Direct Loans - these are automatically offered to students who complete FAFSA and don't require parent cosigning. The government basically gives them to any enrolled student regardless of credit history, which explains why he can't remember signing anything special beyond accepting his financial aid package. For your younger son's $15K gap, he'll likely qualify for about $5,500 in Direct Loans on his own. The remaining ~$9,500 would need to come from Parent PLUS loans (in your name) or private loans (which would need a cosigner). I'd strongly recommend sitting down with your son AND the financial aid office to go through exactly what he's accepting - too many students sign loan documents without really understanding the long-term implications. Make sure he knows which loans are his responsibility vs. yours!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely amazed by this entire thread! What started as Melody's frustrating FAFSA mystery turned into such an incredible collaborative learning experience. The discovery that the 529 plan was incorrectly reported as the student's asset instead of the parent's asset is such a perfect example of how one small mistake can have massive financial consequences. It's honestly shocking that a simple checkbox error could potentially cost thousands in Pell Grant eligibility - the FAFSA system really doesn't give families much room for error! What I find most impressive is how everyone here worked together like financial aid detectives, from Luis's technical breakdown of assessment rates to Eva's insights about dependency status, until the real culprit was found. This thread should be required reading for anyone filling out their first FAFSA. The collaborative problem-solving and willingness to help shown by this community gives me so much confidence that there are knowledgeable people ready to help navigate these complex systems. Thank you all for turning what could have been a costly mistake into a valuable learning experience for everyone!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely fascinated by how this thread turned from frustration into such an incredible success story! Melody's journey from confusion to solution really showcases both the complexity of the FAFSA system and the power of community knowledge. That 529 asset reporting mistake is such a perfect example of how seemingly minor details can have massive financial consequences - it's honestly terrifying that one checkbox error could potentially cost thousands in aid eligibility! What really impresses me is how everyone here approached this like a collaborative puzzle, with Luis providing those detailed technical breakdowns and Eva catching the dependency status nuances, all working together until the real issue was uncovered. This thread should be bookmarked by every family navigating FAFSA for the first time. The fact that the system doesn't warn you when you're about to make these costly mistakes really highlights why having a supportive community like this is so essential. Thank you all for turning what could have been a devastating error into such a valuable learning experience for everyone!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Just submitted my daughter's FAFSA last week and when I logged in to check the status, I saw my old Pell Grant info from when I attended a trade school about 10 years ago. I immediately panicked thinking there was some kind of system error that would affect her eligibility. Reading through all these responses has been such a huge relief! It's crazy how poorly designed the dashboard is - they really should have a clear header or something indicating "This is showing YOUR aid history, not your student's potential eligibility." The number of parents who go through this same panic shows it's a major design flaw. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially those who confirmed their kids still received full Pell Grants despite the confusing parent information showing up. Now I can stop stressing and just wait patiently for her college aid packages to arrive!

I just want to add my voice to everyone else saying this is TOTALLY normal! I'm a mom of three kids who have all gone through college, and I've seen this confusing dashboard display every single time I helped them with their FAFSA. It never stops being jarring to see my ancient college records pop up when I'm trying to help my kids! What I've learned over the years is that the federal aid system is actually really good at keeping everyone's records separate - it's just the user interface that's confusing. Each of my kids got their own fresh start with Pell Grant eligibility, and the amounts they received had nothing to do with what I used decades ago when I was in school. The good news is that once your son gets his aid package from his college, you'll have much clearer information to work with. College financial aid offices are usually pretty good at explaining exactly how they calculated his awards. Don't let this dashboard confusion stress you out - your son's financial aid will be determined based on your current family financial situation, not your old college history!

Just wanted to jump in as another parent navigating this maze! We got an SAI of 16,200 last month and I've been stressing about what it means for our actual out-of-pocket costs. Reading through all these responses has been SO helpful - especially learning about the rental property reporting issue and the possibility of merit aid not being tied to SAI. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is the timing of when schools actually send out their financial aid packages. Does anyone know if schools use the SAI immediately when making aid decisions, or do they wait for any corrections we might submit? We're considering making some corrections based on the asset reporting tips shared here, but I'm worried about delaying our aid processing if schools are already working on packages. Also, @Olivia Van-Cleve, I'd definitely recommend starting to research this early like you're doing! We went into this pretty blind and it's been overwhelming. The Net Price Calculators someone mentioned seem like a great place to start getting realistic expectations. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it's such a relief to know we're not alone in feeling confused by all of this!

As a newcomer here, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! My family is just starting the college search process and I had never even heard of SAI before stumbling across this discussion. Reading everyone's real experiences and practical advice has taught me more about financial aid than any official website or guidance counselor session. The tips about asset reporting mistakes, merit vs need-based aid, and the possibility of appealing or negotiating with schools are all things I never would have known to look for. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and come back to it when we start our own FAFSA journey. @Ally Tailer - I hope your corrections and appeals work out well! It sounds like you have a solid plan now based on all the great advice you've received. And thank you for starting this conversation - it's clearly helping so many families navigate this confusing process!

I'm also dealing with this exact same situation right now! My mom applied for a Parent PLUS loan about 2 weeks ago and we've been anxiously waiting for any kind of update. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that delays were this common or that there were so many different places to check for status updates. What really caught my attention was the mention of system glitches being more frequent than schools admit. That makes me feel so much better because I was convinced we had messed something up in the application process. I'm definitely going to have my mom check her FSA account tomorrow morning and look through her spam folder too. The advice about calling right when the financial aid office opens (8 AM) is golden - I've been trying to reach ours for days with no luck. Also going to ask about that "pending financial aid" hold option since our payment deadline is coming up fast. It's such a relief to know that schools have processes in place for these situations. Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences with this process. As a first-time college student whose family is new to all this, it's incredibly reassuring to know we're not alone in dealing with these frustrating delays!

As someone who's been helping families navigate the Parent PLUS loan process for several years, I wanted to jump in with a few additional resources that might help everyone who's currently waiting: 1. If your parent applied through studentaid.gov, they should have received a confirmation email with an application reference number - keep this handy when calling for status updates 2. Many schools have a "Financial Aid Checklist" or "To-Do List" in the student portal that will show if they're waiting for PLUS loan certification - check there too 3. For those mentioning system glitches, the Department of Education actually has a technical issues hotline (1-800-433-3243, option 2) specifically for FAFSA/loan application problems One thing I always tell families is to document everything - dates of calls, names of people you spoke with, reference numbers, etc. This becomes really valuable if you need to escalate or if there are discrepancies later. The good news is that even when these delays happen, schools almost always work with families to avoid late payment penalties while waiting for federal aid to process. You're all being incredibly proactive by seeking help and following up - that's exactly the right approach!