Something I wish I'd known earlier: create a spreadsheet NOW to track all of this. Include columns for: - Each school name - Date FAFSA data received (call/email to confirm) - Aid package received date - Total aid offered - Grants/scholarships (free money!) - Work study amount - Federal loans offered - Out-of-pocket cost Trust me, when those offers start coming in, they all look different and use different terminology. Having a standardized way to compare them will save you HOURS of confusion and stress later. And don't ignore the financial aid deadlines for accepting offers - some schools have surprisingly early deadlines!

One more thing to keep in mind - don't panic if you don't hear anything for several weeks! I made the mistake of constantly refreshing my student portal and calling schools too early last year. What really helped me was setting up a simple calendar reminder for 3 weeks from when I got my SAI, then another one for 6 weeks out. That way I wasn't obsessively checking every day but still had a plan for when to follow up. Also, if your daughter applied to any state schools, they sometimes have different timelines than private colleges. State schools in our experience were faster with aid packages but had less flexibility for appeals or negotiations. Just something to keep in mind as you're waiting! The whole process is definitely stressful for first-time parents, but you're asking all the right questions. Hang in there!

As someone who went through this exact scenario during the 2018-2019 shutdown, I want to reassure you that while it's stressful, there are definitely ways to navigate this! Here's what worked for me: I immediately contacted my school's emergency aid office (separate from regular financial aid) and they had a specific "government shutdown protocol" that included temporary tuition deferrals and interest-free bridge loans. The key is acting fast - don't wait to see if a shutdown actually happens. Also, document EVERYTHING - screenshots of your FAFSA submission, emails with your school, phone call logs with FSA. I kept a folder with all of this and it made the process much smoother when my aid finally came through. Your first-gen status might actually work in your favor here - many schools have additional emergency resources specifically for first-generation students facing financial emergencies. Hang in there! 💪

I just went through something similar last year when there were delays (not shutdown related, but same stress!). Here's what I wish I'd known earlier: call your school's main financial aid number and ask to speak with someone about "emergency situations" or "extenuating circumstances" - they often have different staff who handle these cases vs regular processing. Also, if you're living on campus, contact housing separately from financial aid. They usually have their own policies for students waiting on delayed federal aid and can put temporary holds on your account. The worst part is the waiting and not knowing, but most schools have been through this enough times that they have systems in place. Document your FAFSA submission date and any communication attempts with federal aid - this shows you did everything right on your end. You've got this! The fact that you're being proactive now puts you ahead of many students who wait until the last minute.

The order doesn't matter for the SAI calculation itself - the system will recognize all three students once all applications are completed. However, I generally recommend completing applications in order of priority deadlines. If your children are applying to schools with different priority deadlines, start with whoever needs it submitted first. Otherwise, the order won't impact how their multiple-in-college status is processed by the federal system.

As someone who just went through this exact scenario with twins last year, I feel your pain! The removal of the transfer feature was such a huge step backwards. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple document with all the key numbers (AGI, assets, etc.) from the first application so I could copy/paste instead of having to look everything up again. Also, if you're using tax information that was imported via the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the first application, you'll need to use the same method for consistency across all three - don't mix imported data with manually entered data or you might trigger verification issues. The good news is that once all three are submitted, the multiple-in-college benefit should kick in automatically and significantly reduce your family contribution. Hang in there!

I'm a newcomer here but dealing with this exact same situation! Submitted my FAFSA on January 2nd and it's been stuck "in review" for 8+ weeks now. This thread has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea about the Data Field Flags or that the notification system was basically broken this year. I've been checking my account religiously expecting some kind of update, but there's absolutely nothing there indicating any problems. Reading everyone's experiences here has made me realize I need to stop waiting passively and actually call FSA. The early morning Tuesday strategy sounds promising - I'm definitely going to try that this week. It's honestly ridiculous that we have to play detective with our own applications just to find out if there's a simple data entry error holding everything up. Thank you all for sharing your stories and tips - this community has provided more useful information than any official FSA communication I've received (which is basically zero). Fingers crossed I can finally get some answers about what's been delaying my application!

I'm a newcomer to this community and dealing with the exact same nightmare! I submitted my FAFSA on January 8th and it's been stuck "in review" for almost 8 weeks now with absolutely zero communication from FSA. Reading through all of your experiences has been both helpful and infuriating - helpful because I now know I'm not alone and there are actual steps I can take, but infuriating because I had no idea the notification system was this broken. I've been passively waiting this whole time thinking the delays were normal, checking my studentaid.gov account daily and seeing nothing. After reading about everyone's hidden flags and data errors that were never communicated, I'm kicking myself for not being more proactive sooner. I'm definitely going to try that early morning Tuesday call strategy - thank you all for sharing those specific timing tips! It's absolutely ridiculous that a community forum is providing better guidance than the actual federal student aid system. I'll report back after I try calling to let others know how it goes. Fingers crossed I can finally get some answers about what's been holding up my application all this time!

Update on this? Did you get it resolved? My nephew is going through something similar and I want to tell my sister what worked for you

I'm dealing with something similar but for my adopted daughter from South Korea. She's been a US citizen since she was 2, but FAFSA keeps flagging her for additional documentation. The most frustrating part is how the system treats adoptees differently even when they've had citizenship for decades! It's like the database can't handle the complexity of international adoptions. Have you tried reaching out to your congressperson's office? Sometimes they can help expedite federal agency issues like this. Also document every phone call - date, time, who you spoke with, what they said. It might help if you need to escalate later.