Thank you for the loan breakdown - that's really helpful. I knew there were limits but wasn't sure exactly what they were. I'm hoping with a combination of those federal loans, whatever we can contribute, and hopefully some merit aid, we can make this work without them taking on massive private loans or me emptying my retirement accounts.

I'm in a very similar situation with my daughter who's a high school senior! Her SAI came back at around 23,000 and I've been panicking about what that means for affordability. Reading through everyone's responses here has been so reassuring - especially knowing that merit aid is completely separate from need-based aid and that the SAI calculation being the same for siblings is normal. One thing I learned recently is that some schools actually have automatic scholarships for certain GPA/test score combinations that you don't even need to apply for separately. Has anyone here had experience with those? I'm wondering if it's worth having my daughter cast a wider net to include some schools where she'd be above their average student profile specifically for merit opportunities. Also @Sophia Russo - good luck with twins starting college the same year! That's going to be expensive but at least you'll get through the whole process at once instead of dealing with it twice.

As a fellow first-gen student who just navigated this maze last year, I wanted to share something that really helped me stay organized during the waiting period: I created a simple checklist for each school I applied to. For each school, I tracked: - FAFSA submission date ✓ - Student portal login confirmed ✓ - Financial aid office contact info saved ✓ - Expected aid package timeline (got this by calling each school) - Award letter received date - Aid acceptance deadline - Any additional forms required (CSS Profile, verification docs, etc.) This helped me feel more in control during those nerve-wracking weeks of waiting. I also discovered that public universities tend to process aid packages faster than private schools, but private schools often have more generous institutional aid to offer. One more thing - if you're really stressed about the timing, most schools have emergency aid or short-term loan programs for students whose FAFSA is delayed. It's worth asking about when you call their financial aid offices. You're definitely not alone in this situation this year, and the schools are aware of the widespread processing delays!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also check if your state has its own financial aid programs with separate deadlines! Many states have grant programs that use your FAFSA data but have earlier deadlines than federal aid. Since you're already 5 weeks in, you might want to quickly research your state's programs to make sure you haven't missed anything. Also, when you do get your award letters, pay close attention to whether aid is renewable each year and what requirements you need to maintain (like GPA minimums or credit hour requirements). Some schools front-load their best aid offers for freshman year and then reduce them later, so it's worth asking about multi-year projections when you're comparing packages. The waiting is absolutely brutal, but remember that this year's delays are unprecedented and schools are being much more flexible with deadlines. You're being smart by preparing now for what comes after approval!

Update: I found my daughter's Student Aid Report on studentaid.gov (no email yet, but it's there in the dashboard). It shows all the information we entered and says processing is complete! It also lists her SAI number. I guess we really are done with the FAFSA portion. Now I'm checking each school's financial aid page to see which ones require the CSS Profile. Thank you all for your help - this community has been amazing!

Congratulations on getting through the FAFSA! It sounds like you figured everything out. Just wanted to add for other parents reading this - when you're checking for CSS Profile requirements, also look for any school-specific financial aid forms. Some colleges have their own supplemental forms in addition to FAFSA/CSS Profile. Also, make sure to note the deadlines for each school since they can vary quite a bit. Priority deadlines are usually earlier than final deadlines, and meeting priority deadlines can make a big difference in aid packages. Good luck to your daughter with her college applications!

To summarize for the OP and anyone else with this question: 1. For married parents filing jointly: Only ONE parent needs an FSA ID and completes the contributor section 2. Either parent can be the contributor regardless of who's listed first on tax returns 3. The parent who creates the FSA ID must be the one to complete the contributor section 4. The system will use your joint tax information regardless of which parent completes it 5. Basic information about the non-contributing parent is still required Hope this helps!

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped us - make sure whoever becomes the contributor keeps their FSA ID login info somewhere safe! You'll need it again next year when you renew the FAFSA, and also if the school requests any additional documentation or if there are any issues with verification. I made the mistake of forgetting mine and had to go through the whole password reset process during a time-sensitive deadline. Also, if you're using the mobile app, the desktop version sometimes works better for complex forms like this. Good luck with your daughter's application!

Just saw your comment about trouble reaching financial aid offices. Yes, they're absolutely swamped right now. This is where being strategic helps. Try calling right when they open in the morning, or in the last hour before they close when call volume sometimes decreases. Also, check if they have virtual appointment scheduling - many schools now offer 15-minute Zoom appointments you can book online, which can be easier than getting through by phone. Don't give up - this is too important for your daughter's future. The financial aid offices want to help; they're just dealing with unprecedented volume this year.

I'm in a very similar situation! My son's FAFSA was processed March 20th and we've only heard from 2 out of 6 schools so far. What's really stressing me out is that the two packages we did receive were SO different - one school offered $18K in grants, the other only $7K with basically the same SAI. It's making me realize how much the aid can vary between schools even when your financial situation is identical. Has anyone else seen huge differences between their aid packages this year? I'm wondering if some schools are being more conservative with their offers because of all the FAFSA chaos, or if this level of variation is normal. Really hoping the remaining schools come through with something reasonable!