The financial aid office can consider your specific situation through Professional Judgment, but they're not obligated to adjust your SAI based on family contribution agreements. Each school has different policies. Honestly, in most cases they won't make adjustments just because there's an agreement about how much a stepparent will contribute. They typically consider the entire household income available for educational expenses, regardless of internal family arrangements. However, if there are unusual financial circumstances (high medical expenses, job loss, etc.), that would be something they might adjust for. It's still worth having the conversation with each school after submitting the FAFSA.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm in a similar boat - my dad remarried last year and we're dealing with the same name/address confusion. One thing I learned from our experience is to keep copies of EVERYTHING - marriage certificate, any name change documents, old and new tax returns. The financial aid offices will likely ask for documentation to verify the timeline of changes. Also, @Evelyn Martinez - regarding your concern about the higher SAI due to your stepdad's income, you might want to look into schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need or have good merit aid programs. Sometimes a higher SAI doesn't hurt as much at schools with generous aid policies. It's worth researching each school's average aid packages for families in your income bracket (including your stepdad's income now). Good luck with everything! This process is definitely overwhelming but you'll get through it.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's absolutely infuriating! My family is dealing with something similar. Our SAI jumped from 22K to 41K despite our income staying roughly the same, and now my son's college is asking us to pay nearly $40K more than we can afford. Based on what I've been learning from this community, here's what I'd recommend: 1. Start your appeals IMMEDIATELY at every school you're considering - don't wait for the next reprocessing 2. Emphasize that $24K income DROP in your appeal letters - that's huge and should definitely qualify for professional judgment 3. With your AGI at $68,500 for a family of 4, you should be getting Pell Grant money which often unlocks other aid too I'm actually in the middle of appeals myself right now. One thing that's helped is calling the financial aid offices directly to ask about their process rather than just submitting blind appeals. Most have been surprisingly understanding about the FAFSA disaster. Good luck - you're definitely not alone in this nightmare!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this nightmare! As someone who's been following the FAFSA disaster closely, I can tell you that your situation is unfortunately very common this year. The good news is that with a $24,000 income reduction, you have an extremely strong case for appeal. Here's what I'd recommend based on what's worked for other families: 1. **Don't wait for reprocessing** - Start appeals immediately at every school you're considering. The May 1st deposit deadline is approaching fast. 2. **Your income drop is HUGE** - That $24K reduction from $92,500 to $68,500 should absolutely qualify you for Pell Grant funds, which will likely trigger additional institutional aid. 3. **Contact schools directly** - Many financial aid offices have created special procedures specifically for FAFSA recalculation victims. They're often more understanding than you'd expect. 4. **Document everything** - Get your 2022 and 2023 tax returns, calculate your expected Pell eligibility, and write a clear timeline of what happened. The silver lining is that colleges have set aside extra appeal funds this year precisely because they anticipated these problems. Your case is exactly what professional judgment was designed for - don't give up hope!

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest daughter, I want to emphasize what others have said about the huge variation between schools. We had an SAI of around 7,000 (very close to yours) and her aid packages ranged from $4,000 total aid at our local state school to $18,000 at a private liberal arts college. The key thing I learned is that schools with higher sticker prices sometimes end up being more affordable because they have larger endowments for need-based aid. Also, don't forget about state-specific aid programs! Depending on where you live, there might be additional grant programs for residents attending in-state schools. And definitely submit any required CSS Profile if the schools ask for it - that's often how private schools distribute their institutional aid. The waiting is the hardest part, but you're asking the right questions now instead of being blindsided later. Good luck to your daughter!

I'm in the exact same boat with my daughter - SAI of around 6,800 and trying to figure out what to realistically expect! Reading through all these responses has been so eye-opening. I was also doing that simple COA minus SAI math and getting my hopes up for big grant awards. What's really hitting me is how much the individual school matters. It sounds like we really need to wait and see what each college offers rather than trying to predict it based on the SAI alone. I'm definitely going to check out those Net Price Calculators that @Nathaniel Mikhaylov mentioned - that sounds like a much better way to estimate costs than my current guessing game. The hardest part is just not knowing what our actual out-of-pocket will be until March. We're trying to plan but it feels impossible when the aid could vary so dramatically between schools. At least now I know to prepare for more loans than grants, which honestly helps set realistic expectations even if it's not what I wanted to hear!

Hi Diego! As someone who just went through this process with my twin daughters last year, I wanted to add a few things that really helped us as a single-parent household: 1. **Work-Study Programs** - Don't overlook these! Your daughter can earn money while in school, and work-study income doesn't count against her aid eligibility for the following year like regular employment does. 2. **Emergency Aid Programs** - Many colleges have emergency grant funds for unexpected expenses. These aren't advertised much but can be lifesavers for things like textbooks, housing deposits, or even car repairs. 3. **State Tax Credits** - Michigan offers the Michigan Education Trust (MET) and other tax benefits that can help with college costs. Even if you haven't been saving in these programs, there might be tax advantages you can take advantage of. 4. **Food Assistance** - Many colleges now have food pantries and meal assistance programs. Don't be shy about using these resources - they're there to help students focus on studies instead of worrying about basic needs. The biggest thing I learned is that financial aid offices are actually there to help you succeed, not to make things difficult. Once you get past the initial paperwork maze, most schools want to work with families to make college affordable. You're doing great by starting early and asking questions!

Hi Diego! I'm another single mom who just finished this process with my son last year, and I wanted to share a few things that really helped us navigate the new FAFSA system: **Timeline is everything** - The 2025-26 FAFSA opened in December, so if you haven't started yet, definitely prioritize this. Many state aid programs are first-come-first-served, and Michigan's deadline for state aid is typically March 1st (though some schools have their own earlier deadlines). **Don't forget about in-state advantages** - Michigan has some great public universities, and your daughter will qualify for in-state tuition rates. With your income level, she might even qualify for programs like the Michigan Reconnect scholarship if she considers community college first. **Appeal process exists** - If your financial circumstances have changed recently (like you mentioned the child support ending soon), you can submit a "special circumstances" appeal to individual schools. This can sometimes result in additional aid beyond what the FAFSA initially calculates. **Document everything** - Keep copies of all tax documents, bank statements, and any correspondence with financial aid offices. The verification process is much smoother now with direct IRS data transfer, but having backup documentation saved me when there were questions. You're asking all the right questions and starting at the right time. Your daughter is lucky to have such a proactive mom advocating for her education!

I went through this with my son's FAFSA last month. Yes, you're in the right place! The parent section is integrated into the student's application - it's part of the new streamlined process for calculating the Student Aid Index (SAI). Before you start entering information though, you MUST create your own FSA ID. This is different from your daughter's login. Once you have your own FSA ID, you'll use that to access her application as a contributor and complete your sections. When you click on her invitation link, it should prompt you to sign in with YOUR FSA ID (not hers). Then you'll see sections designated specifically for parent contribution information. Hope this helps! The new system is definitely not intuitive at first.

Update: I got it working! For anyone else confused, here's what I did: 1. Created my own FSA ID (took about 15 minutes with verification) 2. Clicked my daughter's invitation link again 3. Logged in with MY FSA ID (not hers) 4. Then I could see the parent contribution sections Now working through our tax information. Thanks everyone for the help!