That's excellent! This is exactly why I always encourage families to appeal. Many people don't realize that financial aid offices have discretionary funds specifically for situations like this. The formula changes this year created unique hardships that many institutions are willing to address with supplemental aid. One additional tip for others reading this thread: if your income for 2023 (which you reported on the 2025-2026 FAFSA) was unusually high compared to your current situation, you can also request professional judgment for income adjustments.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this thread incredibly eye-opening and concerning. I'm currently helping my younger sister navigate her college applications for next year, and reading about these FAFSA formula changes has me worried about what we might face. Our family situation is similar - middle income with potentially two students in college simultaneously. It sounds like we need to prepare for the possibility that our financial aid might be significantly less than what online calculators based on the old EFC formula suggest. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and especially to those who provided concrete steps for appeals. I'm bookmarking this thread to reference when we get our aid packages. It's frustrating that families are having to fight for fair treatment, but I'm glad there are options available and that some of you have had success with the appeal process. @Jamal Carter - congratulations on getting that additional funding! Your persistence really paid off and gives the rest of us hope.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I called the Federal Student Aid helpline (took forever to get through) and found out there was actually an error in how they calculated our assets. We have some retirement savings they counted as available funds when they shouldn't have. They're recalculating our SAI now. I also reached out to the nursing association and found two scholarship opportunities specifically for technical college nursing students. And we've scheduled a meeting with the financial aid office to specifically discuss a professional judgment review based on our changed financial circumstances. This forum has been so helpful - I had no idea there were so many options that weren't initially presented to us. Will update when we hear back about the recalculation!

What a rollercoaster of emotions reading through this thread! I'm so glad you found errors in your SAI calculation - that's exactly why it's worth questioning these numbers instead of just accepting them. For other families dealing with similar issues, I wanted to add that community colleges and technical schools sometimes have emergency grant funds that aren't well-publicized. These are small grants (usually $500-2000) for students facing unexpected financial hardships. They're typically managed by the student services office rather than financial aid, so you have to specifically ask about "emergency assistance" or "completion grants." Also, don't overlook your state's workforce development programs. Many states are desperately trying to fill healthcare positions and have special funding streams for nursing students that bypass the whole FAFSA mess entirely. Your state's Department of Labor website usually has information about these programs. Really hoping your recalculation comes through with better numbers! Keep us posted on how the professional judgment meeting goes.

So glad you got it resolved! This happens more often than people realize. Once the schools get the updated FAFSA information, make sure to follow up with their financial aid offices directly to request updated award letters. Sometimes they don't automatically regenerate offers. And remember - if your financial situation has changed at all since you filed (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), you can also submit a special circumstances appeal for additional consideration.

What a relief that you got it sorted out! This is such a perfect example of why the FAFSA system needs better communication - they should notify families immediately when there are flags or issues instead of leaving everyone in the dark. Your story will definitely help other families who might be dealing with the same mysterious denials. Make sure to keep copies of all the documentation you submitted in case this identity mix-up ever pops up again in future years. And yes, definitely follow up with each school individually once they receive the updated info - some are faster than others at regenerating award packages.

Also worth noting: make sure your son lists both you and your husband separately as contributors if you file taxes separately or if you're not married. If you file jointly, only one of you needs to complete the contributor section. Another tip: all of you should save your work frequently - the system can time out unexpectedly.

New to this whole process but wanted to share what I learned after going through it with my oldest daughter last week. The sequence everyone mentioned is correct, but here's something I wish someone had told me: make sure to have your FSA ID ready BEFORE your kid submits their portion. I didn't realize I needed to create my own studentaid.gov account ahead of time, so when I got the contributor email, I had to go through the whole FSA ID creation process which delayed things by a few days (they have to verify your identity). If you create your FSA ID now, you'll be ready to go as soon as you get that contributor invitation!

I finally got through! For anyone still trying, here's what worked for me: cleared all cookies/cache, used Microsoft Edge browser (not Chrome), and tried at 6:30am. The system was slow but functional. Now my application shows "Submitted" though no SAI calculation yet. I'm just relieved to have it in the system before my school's priority deadline. Thanks everyone for your tips and commiseration!

Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this exact nightmare last year! I know how stressful it is, but don't give up. A few additional tips that helped me: 1) Save your progress frequently - the system times out but sometimes saves partial data, 2) If you get kicked out, wait 15-20 minutes before trying again (I think there's some kind of rate limiting), and 3) Contact your school's financial aid office ASAP to let them know you're having technical difficulties - most are being very understanding about extensions this year. Also, make sure you have your parents' info ready if you're a dependent student, because the parent contributor section seems to be the glitchiest part. You've got this! The system will eventually work and you'll get your aid processed.