Update for anyone following this thread: The Department of Education just released their contingency plan for the potential shutdown. They've confirmed that Pell Grant disbursements WILL continue as scheduled. The document states that approximately 96% of their financial aid staff would be exempt from furlough specifically to ensure critical operations like disbursements continue. However, they also noted that customer service operations would be limited, and processing of new FAFSA applications could face delays. If you have a pending application or are dealing with verification, that's where you might see the biggest impact.

As someone who's been through multiple government shutdown scares while depending on Pell Grants, I can confirm what others have said - the grants themselves are usually protected. What really helped me was creating a backup plan early on. I talked to my financial aid office about emergency aid options, looked into payment plan extensions, and even researched local emergency funds for students. Also, if you're really worried about the timing, some schools will let you defer certain deadlines if you can show that federal aid delays are the cause. The key is being proactive and communicating with your school's financial aid office rather than waiting to see what happens. They deal with these situations regularly and usually have protocols in place. Don't let the anxiety consume you - I know it's scary when your entire education depends on that funding, but the system is designed to keep critical programs like Pell running even during political chaos.

It really is an outdated approach. I feel like the system was designed for how families worked in the 1980s or something, not today's reality. Thanks for sharing your experience - it helps knowing I'm not alone in this struggle at least.

I'm going through something similar right now and it's incredibly frustrating! One thing that might help - have you looked into your state's financial aid programs? Some states have their own grants and scholarships that use different criteria than FAFSA. Also, if you're in a healthcare program with clinical rotations, check if your school has any emergency aid funds or profession-specific scholarships. Many nursing/medical programs have small grants specifically for students in financial hardship that don't go through the normal FAFSA process. Another option to explore: some employers (even part-time ones like your coffee shop) offer tuition assistance programs. It might be worth asking HR if they have any educational benefits you're not aware of. Even a small amount could help bridge the gap while you're fighting this dependency status battle. Keep pushing on the Professional Judgment route that others mentioned - that really seems like your best shot given the circumstances. The whole system is so broken for students like us who are truly independent but don't fit their narrow definitions.

quick question: are ur twins going to the same school? if yes some colleges have special twin scholarships! my friend's twins got half off at [redacted] university just for being twins lol

Just wanted to add that you should also check the specific deadlines for each school your twins are applying to! Even though you'll be filling out federal FAFSA forms, many colleges have their own priority deadlines for institutional aid that can be earlier than the federal deadline. With twins applying to different schools, you'll want to make a calendar of all the important dates so you don't miss any opportunities for additional grants or scholarships. Also, some schools require CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, so double-check those requirements too. You're doing great navigating all this!

Just to provide some closure on this thread - based on the most recent guidance from Federal Student Aid, for married parents who file taxes jointly, only one parent needs to complete the contributor section on the 2025-2026 FAFSA. However, both parents should have FSA IDs. The good news is that since: 1. Your contributor section shows as processed 2. Your son's SAI has been calculated 3. The corrections were completed successfully This means your son's FAFSA is complete and ready for schools to use for financial aid packaging, regardless of your husband's pending contributor status. The Department of Education has confirmed that in cases where multiple contributors are invited but only one is needed (as with joint tax filing), the system will use the completed contributor information to finalize the application.

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my daughter's FAFSA, I can confirm what others have said - the system is definitely buggy this year! We had the exact same situation where I completed my contributor section in February and it processed fine, but my husband's stayed stuck on "processing" for months even though we file jointly. What finally worked for us was just leaving both applications alone and focusing on whether the Student Aid Index (SAI) was calculated, which it sounds like yours now is! That's the key indicator that your son's application is actually complete from the Department of Education's perspective. One tip that might help others - we found that calling the school's financial aid office directly was way more helpful than trying to reach Federal Student Aid. The school could see on their end that all the necessary information had been received, even though the FAFSA website still showed confusing status messages. They were also able to confirm that our aid package wouldn't be delayed by the processing glitch. Hang in there - this new system has been frustrating for so many families, but it sounds like your son's application is in good shape!

Update: I took everyone's advice and 1) contacted our state representative's office, 2) got a letter confirming Pell eligibility from studentaid.gov, and 3) used Claimyr to reach an FSA agent directly. The agent confirmed there was a data transmission error and manually flagged our application for immediate transfer to the state! The university has now given us a 60-day extension, and the state aid office confirmed they should have everything processed within 2 weeks. THANK YOU all for the help - was feeling completely lost before posting here.

So glad to see this success story! I've been following this thread because we're dealing with the exact same issue in Ohio. My son's FAFSA has been approved for max Pell since early April but our state grant is still "pending federal data transfer." I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service and contact our state rep's office tomorrow. For anyone else still struggling with this - bookmark this thread! The step-by-step approach that worked for Mateo is pure gold. It's ridiculous that families have to jump through all these hoops when the system should just work, but at least there are ways to push things along when you know what to do. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!