Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses! I feel a bit better knowing that there's still a chance with my SAI, even if it varies by school. I'm going to: 1. Wait for my initial aid packages 2. Contact financial aid offices directly if Work-Study isn't included 3. Ask about regular campus employment as a backup plan 4. Look into which schools might have larger Work-Study budgets I'll update this thread once I start hearing back from schools in case it helps anyone else with a similar SAI.

Just wanted to add some perspective from someone who's been through this process! My SAI was actually 11,800 last year (so even higher than yours) and I ended up getting Work-Study at 3 out of 7 schools I applied to. The key thing I learned is that timing really matters - not just when you submit your FAFSA, but also how quickly you respond to your financial aid offers. Some schools have a "summer melt" where students decline their Work-Study awards, creating openings for waitlisted students. I got my Work-Study offer in July after being initially denied! Also, smaller private schools definitely seem more flexible with their cutoffs than big state schools. Don't lose hope - your SAI of 11,366 is definitely still in the running at many colleges.

anyone else notice that sometimes the schools dont get the fafsa info even when u add them?? we added 2 schools for my son in january and when we called in march they said they never got his fafsa!! had to resubmit the whole correction again. so frustrating

As someone who just went through this process with my own child, I wanted to add that you should also check your email (including spam folder) for confirmation messages after making corrections. When we added schools to my daughter's FAFSA last month, we received email confirmations within 24 hours that the corrections were submitted successfully. These emails also included a summary of which schools would be receiving her FAFSA data, which gave me peace of mind. If you don't receive a confirmation email within a day or two, that might indicate there was an issue with the submission process.

I'm so glad to see you got some movement on this! As someone who went through a similar situation 3 years ago, I wanted to add that you should also ask the financial aid office about work-study opportunities when you're there for the appeal. My daughter didn't qualify initially but after our special circumstances appeal was approved, they were able to offer her work-study too which added another $2,400 to her aid package. Also, keep copies of EVERYTHING you submit - I had to resubmit documents twice because they got "lost in the system." You're doing all the right things and advocating well for your daughter!

As a financial aid counselor at a state university, I want to emphasize that your timeline is actually very manageable! Most schools process special circumstances appeals within 2-3 weeks, and since you've already extended your decision deadline, you should have plenty of time. One thing I don't see mentioned yet - make sure to ask about institutional aid when you submit your appeal. Many schools have emergency grants or additional need-based aid that only becomes available after a special circumstances review. At our school, we have a separate fund specifically for students whose parents are recently divorced or separated. Also, don't forget to mention any additional expenses you now have as a single parent that weren't part of your married household (like paying for separate housing, childcare changes, etc.). These can all factor into the professional judgment review. You're absolutely on the right track!

This thread is exactly what I needed to find! I'm dealing with this same nightmare - got the "successfully submitted" email on Monday, then "missing information" today. It's so frustrating because you think you're done and then BAM, back to square one. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear this isn't user error but a legitimate system problem. I'm definitely going to try the password reset method tonight. Quick question for those who've been through this - when you reset your FSA ID passwords, did you reset both parent and student at exactly the same time, or does the timing not matter as long as you wait the 24 hours before attempting signatures again? Also, has anyone noticed if this issue happens more with certain types of applications (like dependent vs independent students)? Thanks for creating such a helpful resource thread - wish the official FAFSA help was this useful!

Just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread! I'm a parent helping my daughter with her junior year FAFSA, and we hit this exact same issue last week - "successfully processed" email on Thursday, then "missing information" on Tuesday. After reading through all the solutions here, we tried the password reset method that @Cameron Black suggested, and it worked perfectly! One additional tip I discovered: after resetting passwords and waiting the 24 hours, I noticed the system seemed to work better when we completed the entire signature process between 10 PM - 6 AM EST. I think there might be less server load during those hours. We tried twice during peak daytime hours and got error messages, but it went through smoothly at 11 PM on our third attempt. Also want to emphasize what others have said about taking screenshots - I screenshotted every confirmation page this time, which gave me peace of mind. Our SAR came through in exactly 7 days after the final confirmation. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and technical workarounds. This community knowledge is invaluable when dealing with such a broken system!

Just checking in - were you able to make any progress with contacting FAFSA? If you're still struggling, I recommend documenting everything and bringing it to your school's financial aid office ASAP to request an extension on their deadline. Most schools have contingency plans for FAFSA verification delays, especially with all the problems this application cycle.

That's such great news that your financial aid office was able to help! This is exactly why I always tell students to get their school involved early - they have so much more power to work with FAFSA behind the scenes than people realize. The 3-week extension should give you plenty of time to resolve the verification issue. For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation, Evelyn's experience shows that visiting your financial aid office in person with all your documentation really is the way to go. They can often work magic that individual phone calls to FAFSA can't accomplish!