Welcome to the community! As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm what others have said - having multiple family members in college is generally beneficial for aid eligibility. One tip I'd add is to keep detailed records of all communications with financial aid offices and save copies of every form you submit. Also, if either of you are planning to take classes part-time (less than 6 credit hours), make sure to clarify how that affects the "number in college" calculation, as some schools have specific policies about enrollment status. Best of luck to both of you on this educational journey!

Hi Mateo! Congratulations on both of you pursuing higher education - that's really inspiring! I went through this exact situation with my daughter three years ago. One thing I'd recommend is timing the submission of your FAFSA carefully. Since your son has already filed his, you'll want to submit yours soon so both schools can process the multiple-in-college adjustments before aid disbursement deadlines. Also, don't be surprised if one school processes the update faster than the other - each institution has their own timeline. Keep copies of everything and follow up if you don't hear back within a few weeks. The extra paperwork is worth it - we both ended up with significantly more aid once everything was processed correctly!

Just checking back - has your daughter's application status changed back to "processed" yet? It typically takes 3-5 business days, but with the system issues this year, some are taking longer.

That's such a relief to hear it went back to processed with the same SAI! I'm dealing with something similar right now - accidentally triggered a resubmission on my son's FAFSA two days ago and have been stressed about it ever since. Your experience gives me hope that it will sort itself out. The new FAFSA system really needs better warnings about what actions will cause a resubmission!

I'm dealing with this same issue right now - created my account 5 days ago and still no verification email. It's honestly really frustrating because I was hoping to get my FAFSA submitted early this year to avoid any last-minute stress. Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and concerning at the same time. It sounds like the new system changes have really created a bottleneck, but at least it seems like most people eventually get through. I'm going to try to be patient for a few more days before reaching out to FSA directly. Thanks for posting this question - it's helpful to know I'm not the only one experiencing these delays!

I'm currently on day 12 waiting for my verification email and honestly starting to panic a bit! Reading through everyone's experiences here is both comforting and terrifying - it sounds like most people get theirs within 7-10 days but some are waiting weeks. I've triple-checked my spam folder, confirmed my email address is correct, and I'm definitely not making a second account after reading about the fraud review nightmare. Has anyone who waited this long eventually gotten through, or should I start trying to contact FSA? The phone system sounds like a disaster but I'm worried something went wrong with my application.

I'm a college student who just went through this process myself! One thing that really helped me was understanding the difference between "qualified" and "non-qualified" education expenses. Qualified expenses are things like tuition, mandatory fees, and required books/supplies. Non-qualified would be things like room and board, parking passes, or optional equipment. If you're having trouble accessing the 1098-T through the student portal, most schools have a specific section called something like "Tax Documents" or "1098-T Forms" - it's usually separate from the regular financial aid info. You might need to look under "Student Accounts" or "Billing" rather than "Financial Aid." Also, just a heads up - some schools are slow to post these forms, so don't panic if it's not there yet in late January. They have until January 31st to get them out. And if your son received any work-study income, that gets reported separately on a W-2 from the school, not on the 1098-T. Hope this helps ease some of the stress! The whole process seems way more complicated than it actually is once you get the hang of it.

I'm a tax preparer and see this confusion every year! Here's a quick checklist to help you stay organized: 1. **Get the 1098-T first** - This is your roadmap. It shows tuition paid vs. scholarships/grants received. 2. **Simple rule for taxation**: - Loans = Never taxable - Grants/scholarships = Only taxable if they exceed qualified education expenses 3. **Who files what**: - Your son reports any taxable scholarship income on his return (even as your dependent) - You claim education credits on your return since he's your dependent 4. **Don't forget to maximize credits** - The American Opportunity Credit can give you up to $2,500 back, and part of it is refundable even if you don't owe taxes. 5. **Keep records** - Save the 1098-T, receipts for required books, and payment records. One more tip: If the school's financial aid office isn't helpful with tax questions, try the bursar's office or student accounts department instead. They usually handle the 1098-T forms and understand the tax implications better. The first year is always the most overwhelming, but once you have the 1098-T in hand, most tax software will guide you through the education sections step by step!

Don't give up hope! I went through this exact situation with my son two years ago. SAI of 8500, no Pell Grant, but he ended up with a great aid package. Here's what worked for us: 1) Applied to multiple schools (in-state publics were most generous), 2) Immediately contacted financial aid offices after getting packages to explain our SNAP/free lunch situation, 3) Most importantly - filled out every single scholarship application we could find, both through schools and external organizations. My son ended up with enough aid to cover most of his costs. The SAI is just the starting point, not the end of your story!

I'm in a similar boat with my daughter! We got an SAI of 7800 and no Pell Grant either, even though we're on SNAP and WIC. It's so confusing how these different programs don't align. Reading through all these responses is really helpful though - sounds like there's still hope for decent aid packages from individual schools. I'm definitely going to look into state grants and plan to appeal to schools with documentation of our benefits. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, this thread is a goldmine of information!