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does anyone know if you can use the CSS Profile to explain this stuff better? i heard some private schools use that instead of just FAFSA and it lets you explain special situations more. my cousin said it worked better for him with divorced parents but idk if that's still true with the new FAFSA system
Yes, the CSS Profile (used by many private colleges) does provide more opportunities to explain special circumstances like changes in child support. It allows more detailed financial information and has specific questions about divorced/separated parents. However, even schools that use CSS Profile still require the FAFSA for federal aid eligibility, so you'll need to complete both and still pursue Professional Judgment reviews as needed.
I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare! My parents divorced when I was 12, and my dad's child support payments ended in December 2023 when I turned 18. Now the FAFSA is counting all that 2023 child support as "current" income for my mom, but she's literally getting ZERO from him for college expenses. It's so frustrating because the system makes it look like we have way more money than we actually do. I've been putting together documentation for Professional Judgment appeals, but it's overwhelming trying to figure out what each school wants. This whole situation just proves how broken the financial aid system is for students from divorced families - we're being punished for something that's completely out of our control!
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I tried the online help center ticket system yesterday and it's definitely faster than calling! I submitted a ticket around 2 PM and got an automated response saying they'd get back to me within 3-5 business days. Haven't heard back yet, but at least I'm not sitting on hold for hours. I also attached screenshots of my blank family size field and my original confirmation email that showed I had completed all required sections. Based on what everyone's saying here, I'm cautiously optimistic about the April 5th correction window - fingers crossed it actually opens on time and works properly this time!
That's really helpful to know about the ticket system! I'm dealing with the same blank family size issue and have been dreading trying to call. Going to submit a ticket today with screenshots like you did. It's such a relief that they're finally acknowledging this is a widespread problem and creating that special correction window. Hopefully we'll all get this sorted out before the May 1st decision deadlines!
I'm experiencing the exact same issue! My FAFSA was processed on March 24th and shows a completely blank family size field, even though we're a family of 4 with 2 in college. It's really reassuring to see Emma's update about the special correction window opening April 5th - that timing should work well for college decision deadlines. I'm going to submit a ticket through the online help center today like NeonNomad suggested, and I'll make sure to include screenshots of the blank field plus my original confirmation emails. This whole situation has been so stressful, but reading everyone's experiences here makes me feel less alone in dealing with these FAFSA glitches. Thanks to everyone for sharing updates and solutions!
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I'm new to this community but going through the exact same situation right now! Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly eye-opening. My daughter just got her aid package and we're facing a huge gap that we can't cover, plus we have credit issues from some financial struggles a couple years back. I had never heard of the extenuating circumstances appeal option before finding this thread - that sounds like it could be perfect for our situation since our credit problems were also due to unexpected medical expenses. Can anyone who went through this process share approximately how long the documentation gathering took? I want to make sure I give myself enough time to put together a strong appeal package. Also, for those who mentioned that some schools have emergency funds or additional aid for families denied PLUS loans - is this something I should ask about directly, or do schools typically offer this information automatically? I don't want to miss out on any opportunities just because I didn't know to ask! Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative discussion. It's amazing how much more helpful this community has been than trying to navigate the official channels alone.
Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and going through this stressful process right now. From what I've gathered reading through everyone's experiences, the documentation gathering for the extenuating circumstances appeal seems to take about a week or two if you're organized about it. The key documents you'll need are all your medical bills, insurance explanations of benefits, any correspondence with healthcare providers or insurance companies, documentation of payment plans you set up, and a detailed timeline letter explaining how the medical situation directly caused your credit issues. For the emergency funds question - definitely ask directly! It sounds like schools don't always advertise these programs widely. When you contact your financial aid office, specifically ask about institutional emergency aid, supplemental grants for families denied Parent PLUS loans, and any other school-specific funding that might be available. Don't assume they'll offer this information without being asked. It's such a relief to find others going through the same thing. The whole college financing system feels impossible to navigate without communities like this sharing real experiences and advice. Good luck with your appeal process!
Just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread! We went through the PLUS loan denial and endorser process last year for my son. One thing I learned that might help others - if you do end up needing an endorser, make sure to have a backup plan because the credit check for endorsers can sometimes reveal issues that weren't apparent beforehand. My brother initially agreed to be our endorser but ended up not passing the credit check due to some old collection accounts he didn't even know about. We eventually found success with my mother-in-law as the endorser, but the whole process took about 6 weeks from start to finish, which was way longer than we expected. The school was understanding about the delayed loan processing, but it definitely added stress to an already overwhelming situation. For anyone considering the endorser route - make sure your potential endorser checks their credit report first through annualcreditreport.com before agreeing to help. It can save everyone time and disappointment if there are unknown issues that would prevent approval. The credit counseling requirement for both borrower and endorser was also more time-consuming than expected, so factor that into your timeline as well.
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One more important point: The 2025-2026 FAFSA now uses the SAI (Student Aid Index) instead of the old EFC calculation. This new formula treats some types of income differently, so your family's $95K might result in more aid eligibility than in previous years, especially if you have multiple children in college simultaneously. With the new FAFSA, having multiple students in college doesn't provide as much benefit as it used to, but there are other changes that might help your situation. Definitely complete the form as soon as it's available for the 2025-2026 academic year.
I didn't know about the SAI replacing the EFC! Does having retirement savings impact the calculation? We have decent 401k balances but not much in regular savings.
Good news - retirement accounts (401k, IRA, etc.) are NOT counted as assets in the SAI calculation. They're completely protected. Only regular savings, investments, and additional properties beyond your primary residence count as assets. This is one part of the FAFSA that actually works in favor of families who've been saving for retirement rather than keeping funds in regular savings.
As someone who just went through this process with my nephew, I want to add that timing matters a lot! If your son is planning to start in spring 2025, he needs to file the 2024-2025 FAFSA ASAP since spring semester aid deadlines are coming up fast. Many schools have priority deadlines in early fall for spring aid. Also, since he's been working and filing taxes, make sure he has his 2023 tax return ready for the FAFSA - even though he's dependent, they'll still need his tax info in addition to yours. And don't forget to check if Georgia has any state-specific deadlines that are earlier than the federal ones! One last tip: if money is really tight, he might want to consider starting part-time while still working. Many technical programs offer evening or weekend classes specifically for working adults, and he can still get partial Pell Grant funding for part-time enrollment.
Hannah Flores
As a newcomer to this community, I'm both grateful to have found this thread and frustrated that so many of us are dealing with this same nightmare! Reading through everyone's experiences and solutions has given me hope that there might be a way forward. I wanted to add one more potential resource that might help - if you're dealing with urgent deadlines and still can't resolve the technical issues, consider reaching out to the colleges directly to explain the situation. Many financial aid offices have seen these FAFSA sync problems this year and may be able to work with you on extending internal deadlines or accepting alternative documentation while you work through the technical issues. Some schools even have relationships with FSA technical support and might be able to escalate your case more effectively than individual calls. Also, document everything with timestamps - screenshots of error messages, notes from phone calls, confirmation numbers, etc. This creates a paper trail that can be incredibly helpful if you need to appeal any missed deadlines later. The stress of this process is unreal, but this community's collective wisdom is proving that there are multiple paths to resolution. Hang in there everyone!
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Declan Ramirez
•This is such excellent advice about reaching out directly to the colleges! As someone new to navigating this process, I hadn't even considered that schools might have their own relationships with FSA technical support or be able to escalate cases more effectively. The point about documenting everything with timestamps is brilliant too - I've been so focused on just trying to fix the problem that I haven't been keeping detailed records of all our attempts. Your suggestion about schools potentially extending internal deadlines while technical issues are resolved is really reassuring, especially since so many families seem to be experiencing these same sync problems this year. It sounds like being proactive and transparent with the financial aid offices could actually work in our favor rather than just suffering in silence until we miss deadlines. Thank you for sharing such practical and thoughtful advice - this community really has turned what felt like an impossible situation into a comprehensive action plan!
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Butch Sledgehammer
As a newcomer to this community, I'm both relieved and dismayed to see so many families experiencing these same FAFSA sync issues! Reading through all the detailed solutions and technical explanations has been incredibly helpful. I wanted to add one more suggestion based on my experience with similar government systems - if you're still having issues after trying all these great troubleshooting steps, you might want to try accessing the FAFSA site from a completely different network connection (like using your phone's hotspot instead of home wifi, or vice versa). Sometimes these sync issues are related to how certain internet service providers interact with government servers. Also, I've found that calling FSA on Tuesdays or Wednesdays tends to have shorter wait times than Mondays or Fridays. The combination of all the advice shared here - waiting 48 hours between corrections, using different browsers, clearing authentication tokens, requesting dependency linkage reviews, and contacting schools directly - creates such a comprehensive troubleshooting approach. It's amazing how this community has turned what seemed like an unsolvable technical nightmare into a manageable step-by-step process. Keeping my fingers crossed for everyone dealing with this!
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