One more suggestion: have your daughter look into establishing NY residency after her first year. Each CUNY school has specific requirements, but typically it involves: 1. Living in NY for 12+ months (not in campus housing) 2. Getting NY driver's license/state ID 3. Filing NY state taxes 4. Registering to vote in NY 5. Showing financial independence from out-of-state parents The last requirement is often the hardest for students, but if she can demonstrate that she provides more than 50% of her own support, she might qualify for in-state tuition in her sophomore or junior year, which would dramatically reduce costs.

This is such a frustrating situation but unfortunately very common with out-of-state students at public universities. I went through something similar when my son applied to several state schools outside our home state. Here's what I learned: The SAI (Student Aid Index) is just the starting point for federal aid calculations - it doesn't guarantee that schools will meet your full need. Public universities like CUNY are primarily funded by their state taxpayers, so they prioritize in-state students for both tuition rates and financial aid. A few things to consider: 1. Make sure you're still eligible for federal Pell Grants based on your SAI - these should be available regardless of residency 2. Look into private scholarships that don't have residency restrictions 3. Consider whether the specific program at this CUNY school is worth the premium over comparable Florida options 4. If your daughter is set on this school, explore work-study opportunities and see if she can establish NY residency after her first year It's a tough financial reality, but you're not alone in dealing with this. The system really does favor in-state students at public universities.

I'm new to this community but dealing with the exact same frustrating situation! I'm a single parent and work as a school social worker, and I had to sell our family home last year after my divorce was finalized. Like everyone else here, every penny from the sale went directly into purchasing our new home, but now my twin daughters' FAFSA applications show my income as almost triple my actual salary because of the capital gains. They're both juniors at different state universities and have always received substantial aid - I'm absolutely panicking about losing that support when my actual financial situation hasn't improved at all. Reading through all these detailed experiences and advice about Special Circumstances Appeals is giving me so much relief! I had no idea this process existed. It's both heartbreaking and validating to see how many educators and single parents are dealing with this same broken system. I'm going to start gathering all the documentation everyone mentioned this weekend and reach out to both schools' financial aid offices next week. Thank you all for sharing your stories and creating such a supportive community - it's giving me hope that we can actually get through this together!

I'm new to this community but facing the exact same nightmare! I'm a single mom and work as a speech therapist in our local school district. Had to sell our house last year due to job relocation, and now my daughter's FAFSA shows income that's 2.5x my actual salary because of capital gains - even though every penny went straight into our new home purchase! She's a sophomore at our state university and has always received good aid. I've been absolutely sick with worry about losing that support when my teaching salary hasn't changed at all. This thread is such a godsend - I had zero idea about Special Circumstances Appeals! All your detailed advice about documentation and the appeal process is giving me real hope. It's both awful and comforting to see so many other educators dealing with this same broken system. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's guidance about gathering those housing transaction documents and salary history. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive space. Starting my appeal process this week!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter, I can confirm that most schools will automatically adjust your aid package once they receive your FAFSA data. The key thing to understand is that CSS Profile and FAFSA serve different purposes - CSS determines institutional aid while FAFSA unlocks federal aid like Pell Grants. Since you mentioned potential Pell Grant eligibility of $7k, that's a significant amount that definitely should be added to your packages once the schools process your FAFSA. I'd recommend being proactive and contacting each financial aid office to let them know your FAFSA has been submitted and ask about their timeline for package adjustments. One thing that helped us was keeping a simple tracking sheet with each school's contact info, when we called/emailed, and what they told us about their process. Some schools were faster than others at making adjustments. Don't stress too much - the delays this year were widespread and the schools are used to dealing with this situation!

I'm going through the exact same thing right now! My son applied to 4 CSS Profile schools and we're still waiting for our FAFSA to process after the system delays. It's so stressful not knowing what our final aid packages will look like. From what I've been reading here, it sounds like most schools will automatically recalculate once they get the FAFSA data, but I think I'm going to follow everyone's advice and call each school proactively. The idea of potentially missing out on thousands in federal aid because of a communication gap is terrifying. Has anyone had experience with schools missing the May 1st deadline for updated packages? I'm worried we'll have to make our decision without knowing our true aid eligibility.

IT WORKED! My son logged in, found the incomplete signature section, and re-signed. We made sure to wait on the confirmation page as suggested. This morning we got the email saying his FAFSA is now complete and being processed! Thank you all for your help!

That's awesome news! So glad the re-signing worked for you. This thread is going to be super helpful for other parents dealing with the same issue. The tip about waiting on the confirmation page seems really important - I'll definitely remember that when I help my younger daughter with her FAFSA next year. Thanks for updating us with the success story!

my dad n i had the same issue last month! the new FAFSA is soooo confusing compared to the old one! also make sure ur daughter does the signature part at the end - we missed that and had to wait another week b4 our application was processed

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm a new parent going through this process for the first time and was panicking when my son didn't get the email either. It's really frustrating that the FAFSA system makes it seem like the email is required when it's not. For other parents who might be reading this - definitely have your student log in directly with their FSA ID rather than waiting around for emails that may never come. The deadline stress is real! Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here.