You're welcome! One last piece of advice: once your daughter's award letter arrives, call the school's financial aid office directly if you have questions about the Parent PLUS process. They can often walk you through their specific timeline and requirements, which sometimes vary slightly between institutions.

Great thread! As someone who just went through this process last year, I wanted to add a few things that caught me off guard. First, some schools will actually include an estimated Parent PLUS loan amount in their initial award letters to give you a full picture of financing options - it's worth asking your daughter's financial aid office if they do this. Second, while you're waiting for the award letter, it's a good time to gather your financial documents since you'll need tax info for the PLUS application. Also, if you're considering multiple schools, remember you can't transfer a Parent PLUS loan between institutions, so wait until you know her final choice. The interest rate for Parent PLUS loans is fixed but tends to be higher than undergrad federal loans (currently around 7.28%), so definitely worth comparing with private options if your credit is solid. Good luck with the process - the waiting is definitely the hardest part!

Just to follow up - did any of the suggestions work? Were you able to get your son's dependency status corrected on the FAFSA? If you're still having trouble, another option is to complete and submit the FAFSA as is (even with the incorrect independent status), then immediately submit a correction. Sometimes the correction process works more reliably than the initial application for resolving dependency issues.

I'm dealing with a similar issue right now with my daughter's FAFSA! It's so frustrating how buggy the new system is. One thing that helped us was making sure she was logged in with her own FSA ID (not mine) and completely clearing all browser data before starting fresh. Also, I noticed you mentioned your son is 20 - just double-check that his birth year is entered correctly on the application. Even a small typo there can trigger the system to classify him as independent. The dependency questions are super sensitive this year. If all else fails, your son's financial aid office should be able to help sort this out even after submission. Hang in there!

Based on your responses to other comments, it sounds like you're dealing with two separate issues: 1. Schools that require additional institutional forms (which you found on two portals) 2. Schools with confusing portals where requirements aren't clear For the confusing portals, look specifically for sections labeled: - "Financial Aid Requirements" - "To-Do List" - "Outstanding Documents" - "Required Documents" Also, check if any are requesting verification documents. Common verification requests include: - Income verification forms - Tax return transcripts - W-2 statements - Family size verification If you truly can't figure it out through the portals, calling is unfortunately your best option. Financial aid offices are swamped this time of year, but this is too important to leave to chance.

So glad you got it sorted out! This is exactly why I always tell families to expect the unexpected with financial aid - even when you think you've done everything right, there's often some additional step or form that schools require. The CSS Profile is such a common "gotcha" because not all schools are clear about requiring it alongside FAFSA. Your experience will definitely help other families going through the same panic! Congrats on securing those scholarships - that's amazing that 3 out of 4 schools offered her aid!

One more tip - make sure you're filling out the 2025-2026 FAFSA if your daughter is starting college next fall. The application periods changed recently and some people are still filling out the wrong year's form!

I went through this exact same confusion when I filled out my son's FAFSA two years ago! The interface could definitely be clearer about this. Just to add to what everyone else has said - yes, it's the parent's birthdate in the parent section. One thing that helped me was to think of each section as literally being filled out BY that person. So the student section is as if your daughter is filling it out herself (her info), and the parent section is as if you're filling it out about yourself (your info). Also, if you're married and filing jointly, you'll need both parents' birthdates. Good luck with the application - you're doing great by being careful and asking questions!

Based on the current schedule, the 2025-2026 FAFSA should open on October 1, 2024. However, keep in mind that the last major FAFSA revision caused significant delays in the opening date. I recommend checking studentaid.gov periodically starting in September 2024 for any announcements about the exact opening date. And as others have mentioned, apply as early as possible - not only to avoid technical issues but also because some institutional aid is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Just wanted to add a helpful tip from my experience last year - if you have complicated investments like you mentioned, consider having your tax preparer create a summary sheet of all the schedules and forms you'll need for FAFSA. When I was filling out my son's application, I kept having to flip between different pages of our tax return to find specific line items the FAFSA was asking for. Having everything organized in advance made the process much smoother, especially since the new system can be glitchy and you don't want to spend extra time hunting for information while the application might time out on you.