UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the advice! I called three of her schools this morning and explained the situation. Two were super understanding and said they'd make a note in her file to wait for the corrected FAFSA. The third school (her top choice) actually gave me an email address to send documentation of our correct income directly to them while waiting for the official FAFSA correction! Now just waiting for the original submission to finish processing so I can make the correction. Thanks again for helping me not panic completely!

Hey Ethan! I'm so glad you got through to the schools and they were understanding! As someone who went through a similar FAFSA correction nightmare last year, I just wanted to add one more tip: when you do get the ability to make corrections, double-check ALL the financial information before resubmitting, not just the income error you caught. Sometimes when we're rushing to fix one thing, we miss other mistakes. Also, keep screenshots of your corrected FAFSA confirmation page - I had one school claim they never received my correction even though it showed as transmitted on my end. Having that documentation saved me weeks of back-and-forth! You're handling this really well under pressure. Your daughter is lucky to have such an advocate!

I'm actually going through something very similar right now! My son's FAFSA was delayed until just last week, and we're now comparing offers that came in way after the May 1 deadline. The stress is real! Before making any decisions, I'd definitely recommend calling Lakeside's financial aid office first like Kennedy suggested. We tried this approach with my son's first choice school and while they couldn't match the competing offer completely, they did increase his aid by $3,500/year which made the decision easier. If you do end up switching, just make sure to get everything in writing - both the withdrawal confirmation from Lakeside and the acceptance confirmation from Mountainview. The whole FAFSA delay situation has been such a nightmare for so many families this year, but schools seem to be more understanding about late changes because of it. Good luck with whatever you decide! That $14k/year difference is definitely worth pursuing.

This situation is exactly why the FAFSA delays have been so frustrating for families this year! You're definitely not alone - I've seen so many posts about people having to make decisions with incomplete financial information. A few thoughts from someone who went through college applications with my daughter last year (pre-FAFSA disaster): 1. Definitely try the negotiation route first as others mentioned - bring Mountainview's offer to Lakeside and see if they can bridge some of that gap 2. If you do switch, make sure your daughter understands she'll likely be at the back of the line for housing, meal plans, orientation sessions, and course registration 3. $14k/year is $56k over four years - that's life-changing money and worth the hassle of switching even if it's stressful right now One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure to check if there are any additional fees or requirements at Mountainview that weren't included in their initial offer. Sometimes schools will have mandatory fees, technology costs, or program-specific expenses that don't show up in the basic financial aid package. You're being a great advocate for your daughter by pursuing this. The whole system is broken right now, but you're working within it to get the best outcome for your family!

Update: My Student Aid Index calculation just came through! Only took 4 days, which seems really fast. And I was approved for the same Pell Grant amount as last year, so I guess not being routed to the IRS verification didn't hurt anything. Thanks everyone for calming my nerves!

Congrats on getting your SAI so quickly! This is really helpful to see how the new system is working. I'm a first-time FAFSA filer and was also confused about not getting the IRS verification step - I kept double-checking that I had completed everything correctly. It's reassuring to hear that the streamlined process can actually speed things up rather than cause problems. Thanks for sharing your update!

what ever you do DONT waste ur time trying to call the fafsa 800 number... legit was on hold for 2 hours and then they hung up on me lol. just submit online and pray i guess

Don't panic! You're not alone in this situation - the FAFSA delays this year threw everyone's timeline off. Here's what I'd recommend: 1. Complete your FAFSA this weekend as planned. Have all your 2023 tax documents ready to make it go smoothly. 2. Immediately after submitting, contact each school's financial aid office. Let them know your FAFSA is submitted and ask about their specific timeline for your daughter's aid package. 3. Many schools are being flexible this year due to the widespread FAFSA delays. If you're cutting it close to May 1st, most will work with you on timing. 4. Remember that her acceptance is secure regardless of when financial aid is processed - those are separate processes. The good news is that once you submit, processing usually takes 3-5 days, and then schools typically have aid packages ready within 2-4 weeks. You should have plenty of time before the May 1st deadline if you get it done this weekend. Breathe! This is totally manageable, and your proactive approach shows you're on the right track.

I'm going through something very similar right now! My partner and I have been together for 8 years but aren't married specifically because of FAFSA considerations for my two kids. We just started the home buying process last month. From what I've learned so far, the most important thing is understanding that FAFSA looks at YOUR assets, not your partner's, since you're not married. So if you own 25% of a $400k house, they're looking at your $100k in equity, not the full $400k. One thing that's been helpful for me is using the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool to run different scenarios. I plugged in numbers for owning 0%, 25%, and 50% of our potential home purchase, and the difference in estimated aid was smaller than I expected - maybe a few hundred dollars per year rather than thousands. The bigger question for me has been the legal protection aspect that others mentioned. I've decided I'd rather have some asset impact on FAFSA than risk losing my investment if something happens to our relationship. My kids will only be in college for a few more years, but I need housing security for much longer than that. Have you looked at any specific schools' net price calculators? Some are more sensitive to home equity than others in their aid formulas.

I've been following this thread with great interest since I'm also navigating the unmarried-partner-home-buying situation with college-bound kids! One resource that might be helpful is reaching out directly to the financial aid offices at your kids' target schools. I found that many aid counselors have seen these situations before and can give you school-specific guidance on how they handle partial home ownership in unmarried partnerships. Also, regarding the CSS Profile that someone mentioned - it's worth noting that while CSS Profile schools often have more aid available, they also tend to look more closely at assets including home equity. However, many have policies that cap how much home equity they'll consider (often 2-3x annual income), which could work in your favor given the income difference between you and your fiancé. The more I read everyone's experiences, the more convinced I am that the legal protection aspect should be the primary consideration. The FAFSA impact seems manageable, but losing your housing security would be devastating. Have you considered getting pre-qualified to see what ownership percentage would make sense based on your actual financial contributions?