That's awesome! So glad you got it resolved. My daughter is heading to college next fall, and I'm already dreading going through this process again with all the confusing financial aid offers.

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my twin daughters applying to different schools, I can't stress enough how important it is to get EVERYTHING in writing from the financial aid office. When you call, ask them to email you a confirmation of what they told you about the federal aid being included in the final package. I learned this the hard way when one school "forgot" to include my daughter's subsidized loans in the final offer even though they verbally confirmed it would be there. Having that email trail saved us when we had to appeal. Also, don't be afraid to ask for a timeline - "final package next week" is vague. Get a specific date so you can follow up if needed!

Final update: Success! After a LOT of emails and phone calls, all 5 schools have granted us extensions until May 15th. One even said they can give us until June 1st if our FAFSA is still processing by mid-May. I'm still furious that we had to fight so hard for this when the problem isn't our fault, but at least we have some breathing room now. Thanks everyone for your advice!

So glad to see this worked out for you! This thread has been incredibly helpful - I'm bookmarking it because I suspect we're going to see this same scenario play out again next year if the Department of Education doesn't get their act together. The fact that families had to fight tooth and nail for extensions when the delays were completely outside their control is just unacceptable. Your persistence really paid off though, and hopefully other parents in similar situations can use your strategies. Best of luck to your daughter with her final decision!

Welcome to the student loan maze! I went through this exact situation last year. Here's my step-by-step process that worked: 1. First, accept your federal loans through your school's portal (sounds like you found those already) 2. Complete entrance counseling and sign the MPN on studentaid.gov - this is required before loan funds disburse 3. Ask your financial aid office about Parent PLUS loan denial - if your parents get denied, you automatically qualify for additional unsubsidized loans ($4,000 more as a freshman) 4. Look into institutional grants/scholarships your school might have - many have small pots of money that go unused 5. Check if your school offers monthly payment plans to spread costs instead of taking more loans The Professional Judgment review mentioned above is HUGE if you have any special circumstances. Don't overlook that option! Also, work-study jobs are clutch because the money doesn't count against your aid for next year like regular employment income does.

Just went through this exact process last semester! A few things that really helped me bridge the gap: 1. Check if your state has additional grant programs - I found out my state had a need-based grant I hadn't applied for that gave me an extra $1,200 per semester. 2. Look into textbook vouchers or rental programs through your school - I saved about $800 per semester switching from buying to renting books. 3. See if you qualify for any departmental scholarships in your major - these are often smaller amounts ($500-$1500) but they add up and many go unclaimed because students don't know about them. 4. Consider taking a lighter course load and doing summer classes if that works with your program - summer tuition is sometimes cheaper per credit hour. The entrance counseling and MPN that others mentioned is super important - you can't get your loan funds without completing both. Also, definitely pursue that Professional Judgment review if you have any special circumstances. My friend got an extra $3,000 in Pell Grant after explaining her family's situation. Don't give up - there are usually more options than it initially seems!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share my recent experience that might help others in similar situations. My daughter is also returning to school after a gap, and I was feeling overwhelmed by all the steps involved. One thing that really helped us was creating a simple spreadsheet to track everything - FAFSA submission date, when we expect to hear back, school-specific deadlines, etc. It's made the waiting period much less stressful knowing we have everything organized in one place. I also discovered that our state has a financial aid hotline separate from the federal one that was incredibly helpful for state-specific questions. The wait times were much shorter than calling FSA directly. It might be worth checking if your state offers something similar. Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences here - reading through all these real-world timelines and tips has been invaluable for a parent getting back into the financial aid process after several years away from it!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so thankful for all the detailed information shared here! My daughter is also returning to college after a 4-year break, and I was completely lost about where we stood in the process after submitting our FAFSA last week. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring, especially learning that we're not behind schedule and that the MPN/entrance counseling steps come after receiving the aid package. I was worried we were supposed to be doing something immediately after FAFSA submission. The tip about checking her FSA ID password is something I never would have thought of - definitely going to have her verify that's working before we need it. And I really appreciate all the timeline estimates people have shared. It helps so much to know what to expect and when. One quick question for the group - has anyone dealt with a situation where their student's previous loans were with a different servicer? I'm wondering if that affects the MPN process at all, or if it's all handled through the same federal system regardless of who serviced the previous loans. Thanks again to everyone for creating such a welcoming and informative discussion!

Since your question is about the upcoming 2025-2026 school year, I want to clarify: The FAFSA now uses the concept of "contributors" rather than "custodial/non-custodial" terminology. For divorced parents, generally the parent who provided more financial support and with whom the student lived more during the preceding 12 months will be the contributor who completes the FAFSA. Based on your 90% custody situation, that's clearly you. Make sure to use your 2023 tax information when completing the 2025-2026 FAFSA, and report any child support received during that tax year. Then, as others have mentioned, contact each school's financial aid office to explain that the child support has ended, which constitutes a significant change in circumstances that may qualify for a professional judgment review.

I'm going through something similar right now! My ex makes way more than me but I have primary custody. What really helped me was keeping detailed records of everything - custody schedules, who pays for what expenses, etc. Also, don't forget that even though child support is ending for your oldest, if you're still receiving it for your other three kids, that will still count as income on the FAFSA. But the good news is that as the custodial parent with 90% custody, you're definitely the one who should fill it out, and your son should qualify for aid based on your income level. The system actually works in your favor in this case, unlike some of the horror stories here about remarriage situations!