Just to offer a different perspective - an SAI of 20,000 means the government formula determined your family can contribute $20,000 per year toward education costs. While that may not feel feasible with your family size, it's high enough that most federal grant programs won't apply. What many families in your situation do: 1. Use the $5,500 federal student loan (it has the best terms) 2. Pay what you can from savings/current income 3. Consider a less expensive school 4. Look at work-study programs 5. Only use Parent PLUS loans as a last resort for the gap Most importantly - this is just ONE school's offer. Different schools with the same FAFSA info might offer very different institutional aid packages.

I'm dealing with a similar situation with my son - SAI of 22,000 and basically got nothing but loans from his top choice school. What really helped us was doing a side-by-side comparison of ALL the schools he got into. We created a spreadsheet with total cost, aid offered, and net price for each option. One state school actually gave him a $8,000 merit scholarship we almost overlooked, which made it significantly more affordable than the "dream school" that offered nothing. Sometimes the school that seems like second choice financially ends up being the smart choice. Also, don't feel bad about having your daughter call the financial aid office directly - sometimes they respond better to the student than the parent. Good luck!

UPDATE: We finally got it working! For anyone else having this problem, here's what worked for us: 1. Created a new Gmail account for my husband 2. Started the FSA ID process from scratch using the new email 3. Used the direct FSA ID website as suggested instead of going through the FAFSA application 4. Did this early morning (5:30 AM) when the system wasn't busy The verification code came through instantly to the Gmail account. We were able to complete his FSA ID setup and successfully link to our daughter's FAFSA application. Now working on completing the parent contribution section. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

Congratulations on getting it resolved! Your success story gives me hope as I'm dealing with a similar situation right now. My daughter's FSA ID went through fine, but I've been stuck on the parent verification for 3 days now. I'm going to try your exact approach - creating a Gmail account and using the direct FSA ID website early in the morning. It's frustrating that we have to jump through all these hoops, but at least there are workarounds. Thanks for sharing what worked!

One additional thing to keep in mind - since you mentioned you've never filled out FAFSA before, the process might feel overwhelming at first, but it's actually pretty straightforward for grad students since you won't need any parent information! You'll need your tax returns (or tax transcripts) and bank statements, but that's about it. The whole process usually takes 30-45 minutes once you have your documents ready. Also, some graduate programs have priority deadlines for institutional aid that are earlier than the federal deadlines, so definitely check with your specific program about any internal scholarship or assistantship deadlines!

As someone who just went through this transition last year, I can confirm everything everyone's said is spot on! One thing I'd add is that even if you don't think you'll need loans right away, having the FAFSA on file opens doors you might not even know about yet. My program ended up offering emergency grants during the semester that were only available to students who had completed FAFSA. Also, some external scholarships and fellowships require you to have attempted federal aid first. The independent status thing is automatic - the system recognizes your grad student enrollment and you won't have any hoops to jump through to prove it. Definitely worth the hour it takes to complete!

Don't feel bad about being confused - the financial aid system is deliberately complicated! One last suggestion: look into Michigan's Futures for Frontliners and Michigan Reconnect programs if you qualify. They cover tuition at community colleges for eligible Michigan residents, regardless of your FAFSA results. That could be a game-changer depending on your situation.

As someone who went through this process recently, I'd also recommend checking out Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek. Their financial aid office was incredibly patient with me when I had to submit multiple corrections to my FAFSA. They have walk-in hours specifically for FAFSA help and even offer evening appointments for working students. One thing I learned is that even though your federal aid is the same everywhere, some schools are much faster at processing your paperwork and disbursing funds. KCC got my loans processed within 2 weeks of enrollment, while friends at other schools waited over a month. When you're trying to pay tuition before the deadline, that timing really matters! Also, don't overlook looking into emergency grants that some schools offer for unexpected expenses - these aren't tied to your FAFSA at all and can help bridge gaps.

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've collected the info and talked it through with my parents. We're going to start the consolidation process next month and then apply for ICR. It's disappointing that Parent Plus loans don't qualify for the better income-driven plans, but at least there's some option to make the payments more manageable as they approach retirement. I'll make sure they complete both steps correctly so we don't waste time getting denied.

Just wanted to add one more consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet - the timing of consolidation matters if your parents have made any payments already. When you consolidate Parent Plus loans, you lose credit for any payments made toward potential forgiveness programs, but you also get a "fresh start" on the repayment timeline. Also, while ICR isn't as generous as other income-driven plans, it's worth calculating whether the 25-year forgiveness timeline might actually work in your parents' favor if they're approaching retirement. Sometimes the math works out better than trying to pay off the full balance, especially if their post-retirement income will be lower. Make sure to use the Federal Student Aid repayment estimator tool before making the final decision - it can help compare what they'd pay under standard repayment vs. ICR over the life of the loan.