I'm dealing with almost the identical situation! My SAI went from around 800 to over 10K even though my mom took a major pay cut this year. I've been researching like crazy and found that the formula now treats parent income and assets totally differently than before. Apparently they changed how they calculate the "income protection allowance" and adjusted how they assess different types of assets. I'm going to submit a special circumstances form to all my schools this week. One financial aid officer told me they're seeing tons of these cases and are prepared to make adjustments. Fingers crossed for both of us!

I'm going through something similar but not quite as extreme - my SAI went from 2,400 to 6,800 even though our income stayed roughly the same. What I learned from talking to my school's financial aid office is that the new formula counts assets differently and has different income brackets. They told me that even families with the same income can see very different SAI results compared to previous years because of how the calculations changed. The good news is that schools are definitely prepared for these situations and have been doing lots of professional judgment adjustments this year. Start gathering all your documentation about your dad's unemployment now - pay stubs, termination letter, unemployment benefits info, anything that shows the income change. Most schools want to see current income projections too, so if you can estimate what your family will actually earn this year versus what's on your taxes, that helps a lot. Don't wait - some schools have deadlines for these appeals!

For those still confused about how activities relate to college funding: 1. Federal aid (determined by FAFSA/SAI) - Based ONLY on financial information 2. Institutional aid - Can be need-based, merit-based, or both 3. Private scholarships - Often consider academics AND activities This is why tracking extracurriculars matters for financial aid broadly speaking, even though it doesn't impact your FAFSA results specifically. Students with significant activities may qualify for merit scholarships that reduce their overall cost, sometimes dramatically. As for resources, the Federal Student Aid website (studentaid.gov) has guides for middle and high school students. The FAFSA in 7 project also provides materials specifically designed for middle schoolers.

This thread is so helpful! As someone just starting to navigate this with my 8th grader, I'm realizing we need to get organized NOW. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like I should: 1. Start a spreadsheet tracking ALL her activities, volunteer hours, and leadership roles 2. Understand that FAFSA = federal aid based on finances only 3. Research merit scholarships early since those DO care about extracurriculars 4. Look into whether her target schools use CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA Is there a good resource for finding out which schools require CSS Profile? And should we be thinking about specific types of volunteer work that scholarship committees prefer, or is any documented service equally valuable? Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world advice schools should be providing but clearly aren't!

He can complete the FAFSA before applying to colleges. When filling out the FAFSA, he'll list all the schools he's considering, and the information will be sent to them. He can add or remove schools later if his plans change. What's most important is getting that application in early, especially with his special circumstances.

As a financial aid officer, I want to emphasize that dependency overrides are absolutely possible in your situation, but documentation is key. In addition to what others have mentioned, consider getting a letter from your grandson's pediatrician or any healthcare provider who has treated him over the years - they can verify the long-term care relationship. Also, if there are any school records showing you listed as the emergency contact or guardian over the years, those help establish the pattern of care. The fact that you've raised him for 17+ years with zero parental contact is actually a very strong case for independence. Don't let the temporary custody aspect discourage you - courts recognize these arrangements as valid care situations.

My daughter went through something similar!!! The financial aid office at her school actually helped create a payment plan for the balance she owed from the previous mistake. Most schools have some kind of option for that. Good luck!

I'm in a very similar boat! I'm 22, work full-time, and pay all my own expenses but still have to file as dependent because I don't meet any of the independence criteria. It's frustrating but I learned the hard way that it's better to follow the rules exactly than risk owing money back. One thing that helped me was scheduling an appointment with my school's financial aid office BEFORE submitting my FAFSA. They walked me through the dependency questions and helped me understand what documents I'd need from my parents. Even though my parents were hesitant about sharing their info, having the financial aid counselor explain why it was necessary made the conversation easier. Also, don't let that old balance at LaGuardia stress you out too much - most schools are willing to work with students on payment plans, especially when the debt was caused by confusion during COVID. Call them and explain what happened. You might be surprised how understanding they can be!

One more important thing about Fresh Start that no one mentioned yet - if you have wage garnishment or tax refund offsets happening now, those stop immediately when you enter the program. For me, that was the biggest immediate benefit since they were taking 15% of each paycheck. After Fresh Start, that stopped, and then with my income-driven payment being much lower, it made a huge difference in my monthly budget. Also, entering Fresh Start doesn't restart the clock on forgiveness options. If you've made qualifying payments before defaulting, those still count toward the 20/25 year forgiveness timeline under income-driven plans.

Just wanted to add that when you do Fresh Start, make sure to keep detailed records of everything - save copies of all forms you submit, confirmation numbers, and dates of phone calls. I've seen cases where people had to resubmit paperwork because the servicer "lost" it or claimed they never received it. Also, once you're in the program, don't ignore any communications from your servicer. They'll send you forms to complete the process and if you miss deadlines, you could get kicked out of Fresh Start and go back to default status. The whole process took about 6-8 weeks for most people I know who've done it. Good luck with getting this sorted out! The fact that you're asking the right questions and doing research shows you're approaching this smart.