UPDATE: I called two schools this morning and had completely different experiences. First school confirmed they received our SAI data last week and said aid packages should go out in the next 7-10 days. Second school couldn't find any record of receiving our FAFSA data and asked me to call back tomorrow when their system updates. So I guess the answer is...it varies completely! Thanks everyone for your advice. I'll be calling the remaining schools today and checking all their portals.

This whole thread is so helpful! I'm a new parent going through this process for the first time and honestly had no idea what to expect after getting our SAI. Our daughter just got accepted to her dream school but we're still waiting on the financial aid package. Based on what everyone's saying here, it sounds like I should be calling them directly instead of just waiting around. Quick question - when you call the financial aid offices, are you speaking to actual counselors or just general staff? I want to make sure I'm getting accurate information about timelines. Also, has anyone had luck getting fee waivers for application deposits while waiting for aid packages? We're in that awkward spot where we want to secure her spot but can't afford multiple deposits if the aid doesn't come through.

I work in a college financial aid office, and I can confirm what others have said. The FAFSA website ONLY shows that you've applied and your student's SAI (Student Aid Index). It will never show the actual aid awards - those come from each individual school. What you should see in the FAFSA portal: - Confirmation that the FAFSA was processed - Your student's SAI calculation - Which schools received the FAFSA data What you'll only see in the school's portal: - Actual grant amounts (Pell, SEOG, state grants) - Loan offers (Direct loans, PLUS loans) - Institutional scholarships - Work-study eligibility BTW - make sure your daughter checks if she needs to complete entrance counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) if she's accepting federal loans. These are required before loan funds can disburse and are also completed on studentaid.gov.

As a parent who just went through this process with my own kid, I totally understand the panic! The whole system is so confusing when you're doing it for the first time. Just to echo what everyone else said - you're completely fine as long as the school portal shows everything correctly. One thing I learned the hard way is to screenshot or print out that acceptance page from the school portal, especially if there are any deadlines for accepting specific aid components. Some schools have different deadlines for different types of aid, and having that documentation saved me when I had questions later. Also make sure to save any confirmation emails from when she accepted the aid package! The FAFSA site really should explain this better somewhere prominent. Would save so many parents from unnecessary stress!

One more important tip: double-check that your income numbers match your tax return exactly. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is the best way to ensure accuracy. Even small discrepancies between what you manually enter and what the IRS has on file can trigger verification, which is a headache you don't want. If you're entering manually, have your actual tax returns in front of you, not just your W-2s.

As someone who just went through this process for the first time this year, I can confirm what others have said - the joint tax return section is definitely confusing! One thing that helped me was printing out the FAFSA worksheet beforehand and filling it out on paper first. That way I could double-check everything before entering it online. Also, make sure you have your Social Security cards handy for both parents - the system sometimes asks for those numbers during the parent section and it's frustrating to have to stop and hunt them down. Good luck with your son's application!

my daughter got an acceptance packet from her school yesterday even though her fafsa still shows as incomplete with the signature thing! schools know the system is messed up and some are being flexible

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! My son's FAFSA has been stuck with the signature error for 3 weeks now. I called the FSA hotline and they told me it's a "known system issue" affecting thousands of applications. The rep said they're working on a batch fix, but couldn't give me a timeline. In the meantime, she suggested I contact each school directly with our confirmation number and explain the situation. Most schools are apparently creating exception lists for students affected by this bug. It's so stressful when you've done everything right and the system just fails you!

After you create the new application, you might still need to contact FSA support if the system is stuck in its ways. The new SAI calculation really tries to maintain parent consistency year over year, which is great for intact families but creates these exact issues for divorced parents. When you speak with an agent, specifically ask for a "parent contributor reset" or "parent association update" for the 2025-2026 FAFSA form. That's the technical term they'll understand immediately. Also, after this is resolved, your son should qualify for his full financial aid package as normal. This parent switching won't impact his SAI calculation negatively as long as accurate information is provided.

I went through this exact same situation last year when my ex-husband stopped cooperating with the FAFSA process. What worked for me was having my daughter start completely fresh with a new application and being very specific about custody arrangements in the dependency questions. The key is making sure your son answers that he lives with YOU more than 50% of the time (if that's accurate). The system should then prompt for your information instead of trying to link to your ex-husband's previous participation. If you do need to call FSA, I found that calling right when they open at 8 AM Eastern gave me the shortest wait time. Have your son's FSA ID ready and explain that you need to switch the parent contributor due to changed circumstances. They were actually pretty understanding once I got through to someone. Good luck - I know how stressful this whole process can be, especially when you're trying to help your child and running into these technical roadblocks!