I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now! My daughter's Cal Grant A is showing pending and we keep getting that "graduation dates will be available after May" message. It's so frustrating when you're trying to get everything done early and the system won't let you complete the requirements. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - I was starting to worry we had done something wrong or missed an important step. I'm definitely going to start taking screenshots like others suggested, and it's reassuring to know this is just how their system works. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and advice. It's amazing how much stress this community can help relieve when you're navigating all this financial aid paperwork for the first time!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm a newcomer to all this financial aid stuff and was completely panicking when I saw my son's Cal Grant A showing as pending with that same graduation date error message. I've been refreshing the CSAC portal every few hours thinking I was missing some deadline or doing something wrong. It's such a relief to read that this is totally normal timing and that the system just won't let you enter the date until May. I feel so much better knowing other families are going through the exact same thing. I'm definitely going to take screenshots starting today and keep checking back weekly like everyone suggested. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community is amazing for first-time parents navigating this process!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation with my son who has autism and severe social anxiety. What worked for us was requesting a meeting with both financial aid AND disability services at the same time - don't handle these separately. We brought his neuropsychological evaluation and a letter from his therapist explaining why traditional work-study would be detrimental to his mental health. The key was framing it as a reasonable accommodation request rather than just declining aid. They ended up finding him a position in the library's back office doing inventory scanning - completely solo work with minimal human interaction. He actually loves it now because it's structured and predictable. Also, document everything in writing. Email follow-ups after every phone call or meeting. Some schools drag their feet on these requests, but having a paper trail helps push things along.

I'm new here but going through something very similar with my daughter who also has autism. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were so many options available! One thing I wanted to add that might help: when we were struggling with a similar situation last year, our state's disability advocacy organization provided free guidance on navigating college accommodations. They actually helped us draft the accommodation request letter and knew exactly which laws to reference. Many states have these organizations and they're often more familiar with the financial aid accommodation process than I expected. Also, if your daughter is already registered with disability services at her school, they should have documentation on file that you can reference in your appeal. That saved us a lot of time versus getting new evaluations. Best of luck - it sounds like you have a solid plan now with all the great advice here!

Just to add - merit aid can be weird because some schools have specific allocations for different departments or programs too. What major did your son select? Sometimes certain programs have more scholarship money than others.

As someone new to navigating financial aid, this thread is both eye-opening and concerning! I had no idea that schools could be so inconsistent with their published merit criteria. Joshua, your situation really highlights how confusing the whole process can be - we're also dealing with a 529 plan and worried about how it might affect our daughter's aid packages. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key takeaway is to not take the initial offer as final and to be prepared to advocate strongly for what the published criteria suggest you should receive. The fact that multiple people have had success with appeals at Western State gives me hope that persistence really does pay off. Good luck with your appeal process - please keep us updated on how it goes! Your experience could help other families in similar situations.

Just to give you a realistic timeline expectation - submit your FAFSA as soon as possible, then immediately contact the financial aid office about your job loss situation. Professional judgment reviews can take 3-4 weeks to process, and you'll want that completed before any aid packages are finalized. Also, don't forget to look into tuition assistance programs that might be offered by your state specifically for displaced workers. Many states received additional funding for worker retraining after the pandemic, and some of those programs are still active in 2025.

I'm 47 and just started my second year of a nursing program after being laid off from retail management. Best advice I can give you is to fill out the FAFSA immediately and be completely honest about your current situation. One thing that really helped me was keeping detailed records of my job search and unemployment - when I met with the financial aid counselor for my professional judgment review, having documentation of my efforts to find work and my current income really strengthened my case. Also, don't overlook your local workforce development office. They often have partnerships with colleges and can sometimes cover costs that FAFSA doesn't. In my case, they paid for my textbooks and scrubs, which saved me about $800 per semester. Healthcare administration is such a growing field - you're making a smart move! The investment in education now will definitely pay off in the long run.

@questioner: Yes, families can make legitimate financial decisions before filing FAFSA. The key factors are timing and purpose. Transfers made solely to maximize aid eligibility could potentially be questioned, but normal financial management decisions are perfectly acceptable. For example, if parents reimburse themselves for education expenses they previously covered from their own funds, or if students contribute to household expenses, these are legitimate money movements. The important thing is that any financial changes reflect genuine family financial arrangements, not temporary shuffling just for FAFSA purposes. Documentation of the legitimate purpose behind any significant money movements is always recommended.

Just wanted to add from personal experience - we were in almost the exact same situation last year! Had about $8K in my daughter's savings from birthday/graduation gifts over the years. After reading similar advice here, we used her account to pay tuition and it made a noticeable difference on this year's SAI calculation. One tip for your appointment tomorrow: bring a printout of both account balances as of today. Sometimes the financial aid officers ask for this info during verification meetings, and it shows you're prepared. Also, don't stress too much about the Tuesday deadline - most schools have a grace period for payment plans if financial aid is still processing. Good luck with everything! The FAFSA maze gets easier once you've been through it a few times.