Thank you all for the incredibly helpful advice! After reading everything, I'm leaning toward being on both the mortgage and deed with a percentage that reflects my contribution, which balances FAFSA considerations with protecting my own financial interests. I'm going to call FSA using that service someone suggested to get official clarification on how exactly they'll view partial home ownership. It sounds like the FAFSA impact might be less significant than I initially feared, especially with the asset protections built into the SAI formula. It's definitely a complex situation balancing near-term aid eligibility with long-term financial security, but I feel much better equipped to make this decision now. I really appreciate all the different perspectives!

That sounds like a really balanced approach! You're absolutely right to prioritize both the FAFSA considerations and your own financial protection. The proportional ownership based on contribution makes a lot of sense. One thing to keep in mind when you speak with the FSA representative - ask specifically about how they handle partial ownership when the property is jointly owned with someone whose income isn't reported on the FAFSA. I've heard there can be some nuances in how they calculate your reportable asset portion in these situations. Also, since you mentioned your fiancé earns 3x your income, you might want to explore whether any of your kids' target schools use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. Some private schools have their own methodologies that could be more favorable in your situation. Best of luck with the home purchase and navigating the financial aid process!

Unfortunately, the FAFSA doesn't have a general "comments" section where you can explain special circumstances. However, after you submit the FAFSA, you can contact each college's financial aid office directly to explain your situation. This is called a "Professional Judgment" or "Special Circumstances" review. Financial aid officers have discretion to adjust your Student Aid Index (SAI) based on documented special circumstances that aren't captured by the standard FAFSA questions. This might include: - Unusual medical expenses not covered by insurance - Job loss or reduction in income since the tax year reported - One-time income events that inflated your reported income - Unusual family circumstances I highly recommend reaching out to each school's financial aid office after submitting the FAFSA. Be prepared to provide documentation of your circumstances.

Just wanted to add one more important tip - when you're filling out the FAFSA, make sure to answer the parent marital status question correctly. Since you're divorced, select "Divorced or separated" rather than "Single" even though you might consider yourself single. The FAFSA uses specific definitions, and this choice affects which subsequent questions you'll see. Also, I noticed you mentioned being frustrated about this situation - totally understandable! But try not to let the stress overwhelm you. Thousands of single parents navigate this process successfully every year. Once you get through it the first time, renewals in subsequent years are much easier since most of your information carries over. One last thing - if your daughter is considering taking out student loans, make sure you both understand the difference between federal subsidized/unsubsidized loans and private loans. The FAFSA determines eligibility for federal aid, which typically has much better terms than private alternatives.

Can I just vent for a sec about how they made the ENTIRE FAFSA PROCESS more difficult this year? They claimed it would be "simplified" but my cousin's family spent TWENTY HOURS trying to get everything set up properly with FSA IDs for both parents and acceptance of invitations. Schools are reporting way fewer successful submissions this year because of all the technical issues. My daughter's college financial aid office said they're seeing a 30% drop in completed applications! That means many kids won't get the aid they qualify for just because the system is so broken.

UPDATE: I finally figured it out! For anyone else struggling with this issue, the key is that small dropdown menu in the upper right corner that says "Selected Student" - it's really easy to miss because it doesn't look clickable. Once I found that, I could switch between both kids' applications. Thanks everyone for your help - especially the suggestion about the dropdown menu location! Now I just need to figure out how to report our 529 plans correctly so they don't count against us too much in the SAI calculation...

For clarity on the FAFSA signature process, here's exactly what happens: 1. Creating an FSA ID is NOT the same as signing the FAFSA 2. Each contributor (student and parents) needs to: - Create an FSA ID - Log in with that ID - Electronically sign their portion A common issue is parents think creating the FSA ID automatically signs the form. It doesn't. They need to specifically complete the signature page using their FSA ID credentials. Once all required signatures are submitted, your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation can begin, and you'll get a true completion status. Your original submission date is still preserved for priority deadlines.

As someone who just went through this exact same nightmare a few weeks ago, I can confirm what others have said - the "processed" status is misleading! My FAFSA showed processed for almost 2 weeks before I got the missing signature email. What helped me was logging into studentaid.gov and looking for a yellow warning banner at the top of my dashboard that I had totally missed before. It said something like "Action Required - Missing Signature" even though the main status showed processed. Once I clicked on that banner, it took me directly to the signature section and showed me exactly whose signature was missing (turned out to be my mom's). The whole thing was fixed within 24 hours after she signed. Don't ignore those emails - they're actually more accurate than the dashboard status!

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I've updated my info on my son's FAFSA last night and will wait for it to process before applying for the Parent Plus loan. It's such a relief to know the credit check isn't based on a specific score number. I'll definitely borrow only what we need and keep that refund tip in mind! I've also bookmarked that Claimyr service in case I run into trouble reaching someone at FSA. You all have been so helpful!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this process recently! Yes, the FAFSA is absolutely required first - learned this the hard way when I tried to apply for Parent Plus without it being complete. One thing I'd add is to double-check that your son's school participates in the Direct Loan program (most do, but it's worth confirming). Also, if you're worried about the 3-week deadline, don't stress too much - once you're approved for the Parent Plus loan, you can usually work with the school's financial aid office on the timing of disbursement even if it's after the deposit deadline. Most schools are understanding about federal loan processing times. The whole process from updating FAFSA to Parent Plus approval took me about a week total.