Since your daughter will be student teaching in your hometown, also check if she'll be changing her living situation. If she's moving back home with you after being away at college, that could affect her cost of attendance calculation. Make sure the financial aid office knows about any change in housing status, as this can affect her overall aid package for that final semester.

As someone new to this whole process, this thread has been incredibly helpful! My son is also going into education and I had no idea about all these nuances with student teaching. Quick question - when you all mention "half-time enrollment" for student teaching, does that affect Pell Grant eligibility? I know there are enrollment requirements for different types of aid and want to make sure I understand what to expect when we get to that point.

UPDATE: The trick with changing my mom's name worked! She got the email about 3 hours after I made that change. For anyone else stuck at this stage, try making a small edit to your parent's information - it seems to trigger a new invitation email.

Thanks for posting this update Grace! This is super helpful for anyone else dealing with the same issue. I'm actually going through this exact situation right now - my parent invitation has been stuck for 3 days. I'm definitely going to try the trick with making a small edit to my parent's info to trigger a new email. It's so frustrating that these workarounds aren't officially documented anywhere, but I'm grateful this community shares these tips. Will report back if it works for me too!

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with State University's financial aid office. You all were right! The $1500 (which is actually $3000/year total) is just the Pell Grant portion. They're still finalizing institutional aid packages and expect to send them out in the next 7-10 days. The counselor estimated my sons will each receive approximately $6,000-$8,000 in additional university grants based on our information, plus work-study eligibility. What a relief! Thanks everyone for helping me understand this confusing process!

This is such a great example of why this community is so valuable! I'm a new parent going through the FAFSA process for the first time with my daughter, and reading through this whole thread has been incredibly educational. The fact that the initial FAFSA result only shows federal aid and not the full picture from universities is something I never would have known. Thank you Freya for sharing your journey and everyone else for explaining the process so clearly. It's ridiculous that we have to rely on forums like this to understand something so important, but I'm grateful this knowledge is here for families like mine who are just starting this confusing journey.

SAI doesn't matter as much as everyone says. I got a ton of scholarships with a high SAI just by applying to every possible scholarship I could find. Check your school's scholarship portal, use sites like Scholly and Fastweb, and ask your guidance counselor for local scholarship opportunities. Most students don't bother applying which means less competition for you!

Your SAI of 18759 is definitely on the higher side, but don't lose hope yet! I had a similar situation last year with an SAI around 16500. Here's what I learned: 1. Each state has different grant programs - some go up to SAI of 20000 or higher 2. Your school might have emergency grants or hardship funds you can apply for separately 3. Since your tuition is $14k and your SAI is $18k, you might still qualify for subsidized loans to cover the gap The key is being proactive. I ended up getting $4000 in state grants and $2000 from my school's hardship fund by submitting additional paperwork showing my family's debt situation. Also look into becoming an RA after your first year - that often covers room and board! Don't give up before you see your actual aid package. The SAI is just one piece of the puzzle.