UPDATE: I finally got the courage to click the button and you were all right! It just took me back to where I left off in the application. I was able to finish entering our tax information and household details. One thing I discovered that might help others: if you have multiple children applying simultaneously, the system actually pre-fills a lot of your parent information from the first application to the second one! Saved me tons of time on my son's application. Thanks everyone for your help! The new portal is still confusing, but at least I got through it.

As someone who just went through this exact nightmare with my daughter's FAFSA last month, I can confirm what others have said - that "Provide Signature" button is terribly misleading! It really should just say "Continue" because that's all it does. The system actually has multiple safeguards to prevent accidental submission. You'll go through several confirmation screens and see a clear checklist before you can actually submit anything. One tip I wish I'd known earlier: keep a simple notepad file open while you work and jot down what sections you've completed for each kid - it helps you keep track of where you are in the process when you're juggling multiple applications!

As someone who just went through this with my oldest child, I can confirm what others are saying - the terminology is definitely confusing! What helped me was thinking of it this way: "student direct deposit" is specifically for money that legally belongs to your son (financial aid refunds), while regular "direct deposit" is for refunds of money you personally paid. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: even if you set up student direct deposit correctly, make sure you understand your school's refund timing. Some schools process refunds within a few days of the semester starting, while others wait weeks. Knowing the timeline helps you plan for when your son might need book money or other expenses. Also, don't forget to have your son download his school's mobile app if they have one - many schools send refund notifications through their apps now, and it's helpful to know when funds are being processed. The whole system becomes much less stressful once you get through it the first time!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm in the exact same boat with my daughter starting her sophomore year and we're still figuring out the refund system. What I've learned from reading everyone's responses is that the key distinction really comes down to WHO the money legally belongs to - if it's financial aid money, it belongs to the student and should go through "student direct deposit," but if it's a refund of payments you made directly, that goes through regular "direct deposit." I love the suggestion about setting up both options to cover all scenarios. That seems like the smartest approach since you never know what situation might come up. And the tip about getting the bank account verified early is gold - we had issues with delayed payments last year because of verification problems. One question for those who have been through this: do most schools send you confirmation when the direct deposit accounts are properly set up and verified? I want to make sure everything is working before we actually need it!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my youngest son's FAFSA! We're on day 7 of the "couldn't calculate SAI" message and I was starting to really worry about our timeline. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like 8-12 days is pretty normal this year, which is both frustrating and reassuring at the same time. I especially appreciate the tip about checking both the parent and student portals separately - I had no idea they might show different information! Also going to follow the advice about contacting the school directly for a possible deadline extension on our housing deposit. It's good to know we're not alone in dealing with this mess of a system. Fingers crossed ours resolves soon like everyone else's eventually did!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My daughter's FAFSA has been showing the "couldn't calculate SAI" message for 6 days now and I was starting to panic about all the upcoming deadlines. Reading everyone's experiences has been so reassuring - it sounds like 8-12 days is pretty typical this year, which gives me hope that ours will resolve soon too. I had no idea about checking both the parent and student portals separately - that's such a useful tip! Also definitely going to contact her school's financial aid office tomorrow to explain the situation and see if they can extend any deadlines or provide a preliminary aid estimate while we wait. The advice about being proactive with the schools instead of just waiting helplessly has been a game changer for my stress level. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and timeline - it's so comforting to know we're not alone in this mess and that it does eventually work out!

As someone who just went through this process with my twins last year, I can't stress enough how important it is to check BOTH the student portal AND have your daughter check her student email regularly. We missed a deadline because one of my sons didn't see an email about additional verification documents that was sent only to his student account, not to me as the parent. Also, pro tip: if Riverdale has a financial aid checklist or "to-do" section in their portal, bookmark that page and check it weekly until everything is resolved. Some schools update requirements in real-time as they review applications, so what looks complete today might have new items tomorrow. Good luck with getting everything sorted before her decision deadline!

I'm just starting this whole FAFSA process with my youngest and this thread is both helpful and terrifying! The idea that schools can just keep adding requirements without proper notification is honestly shocking. I had no idea there were two separate processes - the federal FAFSA and then each school's own verification. @Nia Williams I hope you get everything sorted out quickly! It sounds like you've gotten some great advice here about checking the student portal regularly. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread for when I inevitably run into the same issues in a few months. Question for everyone: Is there any way to predict which schools are more likely to select you for verification, or is it basically random? Trying to mentally prepare myself for what's coming!

UPDATE: My SAI finally came through! It took 14 days total, and I did get an email notification (though it went to my promotions folder in Gmail, so I almost missed it). Now I can finally finish those scholarship applications. Thanks everyone for your help and for calming my anxiety!

Glad to see this worked out for you! As someone who just went through this process myself, I wanted to add that it's also worth checking if any of your target schools have their own institutional aid applications with earlier deadlines. Some schools require additional forms beyond just the FAFSA for merit scholarships, and those deadlines can be really tight. Also, if your SAI seems unusually high or low compared to what you expected, don't hesitate to reach out to the financial aid offices directly - they can often provide insight into how their specific school uses the SAI in their aid calculations. The whole process is definitely stressful when you're doing it solo for the first time, but you've got this!