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This is exactly why I love this community - seeing everyone come together to help during stressful financial aid situations! As someone who went through this same panic last year, I can confirm that Summer B aid disbursements are notorious for being last-minute. The key things that helped me were: 1) Understanding that the 10-day federal rule means they literally CAN'T disburse too early, 2) Getting that Bursar hold placed on my account (wish I'd known about that sooner!), and 3) Checking studentaid.gov to make sure there weren't any verification issues on the federal side. For future students reading this - don't wait until the last week to start checking on your summer aid status. Start following up about 2 weeks before your payment deadline so you have time to address any issues that come up. The summer processing timeline is just different from fall/spring, and knowing that ahead of time saves so much stress!
This is such great advice! I'm a new student starting my first summer session next year and had no idea about any of these timelines or the difference between Financial Aid and Bursar offices. The 10-day federal rule explanation makes so much sense - I was wondering why they couldn't just process everything early to avoid all the stress. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and start checking on my aid status 2 weeks before the deadline like you suggested. It's reassuring to know this is a common experience and not just schools being disorganized. Thanks for breaking down those key steps - especially the Bursar hold tip that seems to be the real game-changer here!
This thread is incredibly reassuring! I'm starting my first summer semester next month and was already worried about how the financial aid timing would work. Reading everyone's experiences, especially from the financial aid counselor who explained the federal regulations, really helps set expectations. The tip about contacting the Bursar office for a pending aid hold is something I never would have thought of - I always assumed Financial Aid handled everything billing-related. I'm definitely going to start monitoring my aid status early and have that Bursar contact info ready just in case. It's so helpful to see that this last-minute processing is actually normal and not a sign that something went wrong. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't find in the official university handbooks!
I'm so glad this thread exists too! As someone who's also new to navigating financial aid, it's incredibly stressful when you don't know what's normal versus what's a red flag. The federal regulations explanation really clicked for me - it makes sense that they can't disburse too early, but nobody ever explains that to students so we just assume something's wrong when aid doesn't show up immediately. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about starting to check 2 weeks early and having that Bursar office contact ready. It's amazing how much clearer everything becomes when you understand the difference between what Financial Aid does versus what the Bursar handles. This community is such a lifesaver for real-world guidance that you just can't get from official sources!
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btw if ur kid has a 529 plan make sure you know how that impacts things too... we had issues with that this year
Thanks for mentioning this. We do have a small 529 plan for her. What kind of issues did you run into?
had to report it as a parent asset which increased our SAI more than i expected... just make sure u know whose name is on the account
This is such helpful information! I'm in a similar situation with my son who'll be starting college in fall 2026. So if I'm understanding correctly, for his 2026-27 FAFSA application, they'll be looking at 2024 benefits/income? That means if we apply for programs like Medicaid or SNAP this year (2024), it could potentially help with his financial aid eligibility when he applies. Is that right? I wish schools explained this connection between government benefits and college aid earlier in the process!
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Update: We made the correction last night by going into her account and selecting "Make FAFSA Corrections" like you all suggested. It let us add my husband's income information and now it's back in "processing" status. Thank you everyone for the help! What a confusing system - they really should fix those misleading contributor invitations!
Glad you got it sorted out! Just as a heads up, expect it to take about 3-5 days to process the correction. The status should change back to "processed" after that, and your daughter can check if her SAI has updated. If it hasn't changed after a week, that might indicate the system didn't properly incorporate both incomes.
As a newcomer dealing with FAFSA for the first time, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm seeing so many families struggle with the same contributor invitation confusion. It seems like the Department of Education really needs to update their instructions to make it clear that married couples should enter ALL household information in one section, rather than sending separate invites that make it seem like each parent has their own section to complete. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions - it's reassuring to know this is a widespread issue and not something we're doing wrong!
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Just wanted to share my experience - I was in a very similar situation with UMN last month. Had the signature issue that delayed my FAFSA until April 12th, and I was getting really anxious about the May 1st deadline too. I ended up calling their financial aid office three times before I got useful information. The first two calls they just told me to wait, but on the third call I specifically asked about getting an estimated aid package for decision-making purposes, and they were actually able to provide a rough breakdown based on my SAI. It wasn't the official package, but it was close enough to help me make my decision. I'd definitely recommend being persistent and asking specifically for an estimate rather than just asking about status. Also, make sure to mention your deposit deadline situation - they seemed more willing to help when I explained I needed the info to make a decision by May 1st.
Thank you for sharing your experience! This gives me hope that persistence might actually pay off. I'm going to try calling again tomorrow and specifically ask for an estimated package like you did. It's reassuring to know they were willing to help once you explained the deposit deadline situation. Did they give you any timeline for when the official package would be ready, or was it still the generic "end of May" response?
I'm in the exact same boat - submitted my FAFSA in January, got hit with the signature issue, and finally processed on April 20th. UMN portal still shows pending with zero updates. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like calling is definitely the move. I'm planning to call tomorrow and ask specifically for an estimated aid package based on my SAI while explaining my decision deadline situation. It's incredibly frustrating that we're all dealing with this when it's not even our fault - the whole FAFSA rollout has been a disaster. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and advice, especially about being persistent and asking for estimates rather than just status updates. Hopefully we'll all get some answers soon!
I'm in the same situation too! FAFSA processed April 22nd and UMN portal still says pending. It's so frustrating that we're all dealing with this mess through no fault of our own. I'm definitely going to follow the advice from everyone here and call tomorrow to ask for an estimated package. @Serene Snow your experience gives me hope that they might actually be helpful if we re'specific about needing info for decision deadlines. @Gavin King thanks for that detailed advice about contacting One Stop with the urgent subject line - I m going'to do that too. Hopefully if enough of us keep calling and emailing they ll realize'how many students are affected by this delay!
Kai Rivera
wait ur parents make 120k and u think ull get good aid?? lol maybe at like harvard or smth but most places will give u squat with that income js
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Lara Woods
•That's not necessarily true. $120k for a family of 4+ doesn't go as far as people think, especially in high-cost areas. And many schools now meet full demonstrated need. My family income was similar and I got decent aid packages from several schools. It really depends on the individual schools and their financial aid policies.
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Eleanor Foster
•We're actually a family of 5 with some medical expenses, so our EFC/SAI has been pretty reasonable in the net price calculators I've tried. I know we're not getting full rides, but several of my target schools have good aid for middle-income families.
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Omar Fawaz
I'm sorry you're dealing with this stressful situation! Identity theft complications are more common than you might think, and schools are generally understanding about these circumstances. Here's my advice as someone who went through a similar process: 1. Document everything NOW - get copies of the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit (Form 14039), any correspondence with the IRS about the identity verification process, and police reports if they filed any. 2. Contact each school's financial aid office BEFORE submitting your FAFSA. Explain the situation and ask about their specific procedures for identity theft cases. Many have special forms or processes. 3. Submit your FAFSA with estimated figures using your parents' 2022 W-2s and other available documents. Mark clearly that these are estimates due to the identity theft situation. 4. Keep detailed records of all communications with schools and the IRS - you'll likely need to reference these multiple times throughout the process. The good news is that this won't automatically disqualify you from aid or priority consideration if you're proactive about communication. Schools deal with these situations regularly and have procedures in place. The key is being transparent and organized with your documentation. Don't let this derail your college plans - you have options!
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