Going back to your original question - another option is to have your son request his aid summary directly from Federal Student Aid and share it with you. He can download a PDF from his account that shows all federal loans and grants. This way, you don't need his login information, and you'll have documentation you can keep for your records. Much easier than trying to remember multiple logins!

Just wanted to add - if you're planning to help with loan management after graduation, consider having your son set up a third-party authorization with his loan servicer now while he's still in school. This lets you access payment info and make payments on his behalf without needing his login credentials. Each servicer has their own process, but it's much easier to set up before the loans go into repayment. Learned this with my older daughter and it saved so much hassle later!

I'm going through something similar right now! My daughter is also a senior and we just got our SAI back at $12,800 which was much higher than expected. Like others mentioned, the new FAFSA formula really does seem to hit middle-income families harder. One thing that helped me was using the Federal Student Aid estimator BEFORE submitting to get a realistic expectation - I wish I had known about it earlier. Also, don't forget that many state schools have their own need-based aid programs that use different criteria than federal aid, so your actual out-of-pocket costs could still be manageable even with a higher SAI. Keep your chin up and definitely pursue that Professional Judgment review with documentation of your medical expenses!

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child last year, I want to echo what others have said about not panicking over the SAI number. We had a similar situation - household income around $90k, single parent, and got an SAI of $16,500 which felt crushing at first. But here's what I learned: many schools ended up offering much better aid packages than that number suggested. My daughter received merit aid, institutional grants, and work-study opportunities that brought our actual cost down significantly. The key is applying to a good mix of schools - some that meet full demonstrated need, some with strong merit aid programs, and definitely your in-state public options. Also, start that Professional Judgment documentation process early if you have special circumstances. Don't let one number discourage you from pursuing all your options!

I'm in a similar situation! What really helped me was creating a simple checklist of all the documents we'd need before even looking at the form - tax returns, bank statements, investment records, etc. Since you mentioned your son's father struggles with technology, having everything organized ahead of time makes the actual online completion much smoother. Also, if you're planning to help guide them through it, you might want to practice with the FAFSA demo tool first (it's on the FSA website) - it shows exactly how the online form flows without actually submitting anything. The demo helped me understand which sections would be confusing for my ex-husband so I could prepare explanations in advance.

One thing I learned the hard way is to make sure you're looking at the 2025-26 FAFSA specifically, not an older version. The FSA website sometimes shows multiple years and it's easy to accidentally download the wrong one. Also, since you mentioned helping your son's father who isn't comfortable with technology, you might want to consider doing a practice run together using the demo tool first, then having all the documents ready when you tackle the real form. The new FAFSA is supposed to be simpler, but the contributor sections can still be tricky for divorced parents. Good luck!

As a newcomer to both FAFSA and this community, I'm incredibly grateful for this detailed thread! My family is getting ready to tackle our first FAFSA application and I was already feeling anxious about the process. Reading about these signature loop issues is concerning, but knowing there are proven workarounds gives me confidence. I'm going to create a checklist based on all the solutions shared here: - Use Microsoft Edge browser - Complete in one sitting without saving - Wait 3-5 seconds before checking "I am parent" box - Ensure FSA ID info exactly matches tax return info - Consider recent name/status changes that might cause database conflicts It's disappointing that such an important system for accessing college funding has these technical problems, but this community's willingness to share solutions and support each other is amazing. Thank you all for taking the time to document what worked - it's going to save so many families time and stress!

As someone completely new to FAFSA and this community, I cannot express how valuable this thread has been! I'm a first-time college parent and was already feeling overwhelmed by the financial aid process, but reading about these signature loop bugs was honestly terrifying. However, seeing how supportive and knowledgeable this community is has been such a relief. I'm particularly impressed by how people have documented specific technical solutions - the browser recommendations, timing tricks, and database synchronization insights. It's mind-boggling that families have to become tech troubleshooters just to apply for financial aid, but I'm so grateful everyone has shared their hard-won solutions. I'm planning to attempt our FAFSA next week and will definitely be using the Microsoft Edge + one-sitting + pause-before-checking-box combination that seems to have the highest success rate. It's reassuring to know there's a community here to turn to if we run into issues. Thank you all for being so generous with your time and knowledge!

Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! I feel much better understanding that we need to wait for the award letters but can at least estimate using the SAI as a starting point. I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service to talk to someone at FSA and get more specific information about what federal aid she'll qualify for. Really appreciate everyone's help!

Also keep in mind that some schools have merit scholarships that aren't need-based! These won't show up in your FAFSA calculations but can significantly reduce your costs. Many colleges automatically consider admitted students for merit aid based on GPA/test scores, while others require separate applications. With your daughter applying to schools ranging from $22k-$41k, the merit aid policies will vary widely. I'd recommend checking each school's scholarship page and calling their financial aid offices directly - sometimes they have deadlines for additional scholarship applications that aren't widely advertised. Good luck with the process!