Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I went back and found the investment section and included our 529 value there. It's such a relief to know I'm doing this correctly now. I was worried because we've been saving for so long, and I didn't want a mistake to affect my daughter's aid eligibility. I appreciate all the insights about how 529s are treated in the formula too - that 5.64% assessment rate is much better than I feared!

Great to hear you got it sorted out! Just wanted to add one more tip for anyone else reading this - if you have multiple 529 accounts (like one you own and maybe another from grandparents), make sure you ONLY report the ones where YOU are the account owner. I made this mistake initially and reported everything, which would have inflated our assets unnecessarily. The key is looking at who's name is on the account ownership, not who the beneficiary is. Also, don't forget to update this value if the market changes significantly between when you file and when schools request verification!

im confused...why is it showing the parent accepted the invitation but then you still need more signatures? the new FAFSA sucks so much lol

UPDATE: My mom just signed the correction properly and now the status has changed to "FAFSA Correction Submitted" instead of "In Progress"! Thanks everyone for your help. Now I guess I just wait for processing and hope my SAI gets adjusted correctly.

whatever u do DON'T cosign unless your 10000% sure she can pay it back after graduation!! my niece dropped out junior year and now my sister is stuck with 45k of debt from cosigning. at least with parent plus if somethjng happens its already your loan anyway

As someone who just finished navigating this exact situation with my son last year, I'd recommend creating a spreadsheet to compare the total cost of each option over the life of the loan. Don't just look at interest rates - factor in fees, repayment terms, and flexibility options. We ultimately went with a private loan through our local credit union (much better rate than the big names) with us as cosigners. Key things that helped us decide: 1. Our credit union offered cosigner release after just 12 on-time payments post-graduation 2. They allowed interest-only payments during school ($35/month) which kept the balance from growing too much 3. Fixed rate was 2% lower than Parent PLUS at the time Also, make sure your daughter understands she'll be paying roughly $135-150/month per $12k borrowed (depending on the rate and term). Have her look up average starting salaries in her field to make sure it's realistic. The rule of thumb is total student loan payments shouldn't exceed 10% of gross monthly income after graduation.

Thank you so much for doing that math! That makes me feel a lot better about our situation. I was really worried their savings would completely eliminate aid options, but $4,117 isn't nearly as bad as I feared.

As someone who just went through this process with my own family, I wanted to add that the timing of when you file your FAFSA can also matter for asset reporting. Since FAFSA uses a snapshot of your assets on the day you file, it's worth considering normal fluctuations in your accounts. For example, if your parents typically have higher balances right after tax refunds or lower balances after paying property taxes, you might want to time your filing accordingly. With your parents' $42K income and two kids in college, you're in a good position for aid regardless of the savings, but every little bit helps! Also, make sure to complete the FAFSA as early as possible since some state and school aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

One important thing to understand is that Pell Grant eligibility has both financial AND academic components: 1. Financial: Your Student Aid Index must be below $6,656 for maximum Pell eligibility in 2025-2026. Higher SAIs will receive reduced amounts. 2. Academic: You must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as defined by your school, which typically means a minimum GPA (often 2.0) and completing a certain percentage of attempted credits. 3. Lifetime limit: As mentioned, you can receive Pell for 600% of your eligibility (equivalent to 6 years of full-time study). The nursing program will have its own SAP requirements which are often stricter than the general college requirements, so keep that in mind as you progress.

my sister did this exact thing!!! she first got her medical assistant certificate then went back for nursing and got pell grant both times. but she had to submit a special form to explain why she was going back to school, kinda like a appeal letter. Maybe check if your school needs something like that?