UPDATE: After spending hours going through our application, I found the problem! Somehow our primary residence (worth about $450k) got classified as an investment property rather than our home. And then our actual rental property (worth about $220k) was ALSO listed correctly. So the system was counting an extra $450k as an investment asset! No wonder our SAI skyrocketed. I've submitted a correction, but I'm worried about how long it will take to process. Has anyone had experience with correction processing times for the new FAFSA?

That's such a relief that you found the root cause! The primary residence misclassification is actually one of the most common errors I've seen with the new FAFSA system. Since you're up against scholarship deadlines, I'd suggest also reaching out to your daughter's school counselor - they often have relationships with scholarship committees and can help advocate for deadline extensions when there are documented FAFSA errors. Many schools are also creating "FAFSA error documentation letters" specifically for situations like yours to help families with scholarship applications while waiting for corrections to process.

does anyone know if you can use the CSS Profile to explain this stuff better? i heard some private schools use that instead of just FAFSA and it lets you explain special situations more. my cousin said it worked better for him with divorced parents but idk if that's still true with the new FAFSA system

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare! My parents divorced when I was 12, and my dad's child support payments ended in December 2023 when I turned 18. Now the FAFSA is counting all that 2023 child support as "current" income for my mom, but she's literally getting ZERO from him for college expenses. It's so frustrating because the system makes it look like we have way more money than we actually do. I've been putting together documentation for Professional Judgment appeals, but it's overwhelming trying to figure out what each school wants. This whole situation just proves how broken the financial aid system is for students from divorced families - we're being punished for something that's completely out of our control!

Quick update: FSA just released a statement this morning about these specific demographic field glitches. They're now saying all affected FAFSAs will automatically be flagged for review, and they're opening a special correction window starting April 5th specifically for these issues. You'll receive an email notification when your correction option becomes available. If you don't receive that email by April 10th, you should contact them directly. The recommended method is through their online help center ticket system rather than phone, as they're experiencing extremely high call volumes.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! My FAFSA was processed on March 25th and the family size field is completely blank even though I clearly remember entering 4 family members during the application. This is so stressful because I have college acceptances waiting and need to compare financial aid packages. Really glad to see Emma's update about the special correction window opening April 5th - that gives me hope we can get this resolved before decision deadlines. Has anyone tried the online help center ticket system Emma mentioned? Wondering if that's faster than trying to call.

As someone who just went through this process last year, I wanted to share a few additional tips that might help. First, if you do go the extenuating circumstances route for medical bills, make sure to include any correspondence with insurance companies and documentation showing you attempted payment plans. The Department of Education looks favorably on situations where you tried to resolve the debt responsibly. Also, something I wish I had known earlier - if your daughter's school participates in it, look into the Federal Work-Study program if she hasn't already. It won't cover a huge amount, but every bit helps, and the income from work-study jobs doesn't count against her for next year's financial aid calculations. One last thing - don't forget to check if your state has any need-based grant programs that might still be available. Some states have rolling deadlines or emergency funds specifically for families in situations like yours. Your daughter's financial aid office should have information about state programs, but you can also check your state's higher education website directly. Wishing you the best of luck with the appeals process!

Just wanted to add my experience to this incredibly helpful thread! We went through the PLUS loan denial and endorser process last year for my son. One thing I learned that might help others - if you do end up needing an endorser, make sure to have a backup plan because the credit check for endorsers can sometimes reveal issues that weren't apparent beforehand. My brother initially agreed to be our endorser but ended up not passing the credit check due to some old collection accounts he didn't even know about. We eventually found success with my mother-in-law as the endorser, but the whole process took about 6 weeks from start to finish, which was way longer than we expected. The school was understanding about the delayed loan processing, but it definitely added stress to an already overwhelming situation. For anyone considering the endorser route - make sure your potential endorser checks their credit report first through annualcreditreport.com before agreeing to help. It can save everyone time and disappointment if there are unknown issues that would prevent approval. The credit counseling requirement for both borrower and endorser was also more time-consuming than expected, so factor that into your timeline as well.

One more important point: The 2025-2026 FAFSA now uses the SAI (Student Aid Index) instead of the old EFC calculation. This new formula treats some types of income differently, so your family's $95K might result in more aid eligibility than in previous years, especially if you have multiple children in college simultaneously. With the new FAFSA, having multiple students in college doesn't provide as much benefit as it used to, but there are other changes that might help your situation. Definitely complete the form as soon as it's available for the 2025-2026 academic year.

As someone who just went through this process with my nephew, I want to add that timing matters a lot! If your son is planning to start in spring 2025, he needs to file the 2024-2025 FAFSA ASAP since spring semester aid deadlines are coming up fast. Many schools have priority deadlines in early fall for spring aid. Also, since he's been working and filing taxes, make sure he has his 2023 tax return ready for the FAFSA - even though he's dependent, they'll still need his tax info in addition to yours. And don't forget to check if Georgia has any state-specific deadlines that are earlier than the federal ones! One last tip: if money is really tight, he might want to consider starting part-time while still working. Many technical programs offer evening or weekend classes specifically for working adults, and he can still get partial Pell Grant funding for part-time enrollment.