Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. I spoke with my grandson and he's going to: 1) Contact financial aid about the additional unsubsidized loans, 2) Ask about emergency grants, 3) Look into the payment plan option, and 4) See if he can pick up an on-campus job. I'm feeling much more hopeful now that we have some concrete options!

So glad to see you have a plan! Just wanted to add that when he talks to financial aid, he should ask specifically about "additional unsubsidized loan eligibility due to PLUS denial" - using those exact words helps ensure they process it quickly. Also, many schools have hidden work-study spots that open up throughout the year, not just at the beginning. My daughter found a great library position in October that wasn't posted anywhere - she just walked in and asked if they needed help. Best of luck to your grandson!

One more important point - while the Common App and FAFSA can have different parent information, make sure your FAFSA and CSS Profile (if required) are consistent with each other in terms of which parent is considered custodial. Those two forms are both specifically for financial aid, so inconsistencies there could trigger verification flags.

Just wanted to add that you should also double-check which parent you actually lived with most in the past 12 months for FAFSA purposes! It's not always obvious - like if you split time 50/50 between divorced parents, you'd use the parent who provided more financial support. The "custodial parent" for FAFSA isn't necessarily the same as legal custody arrangements. I had a friend who almost got this wrong because she assumed it meant the parent with legal custody, but FAFSA has its own specific definition.

I went through this exact nightmare scenario last month with my twins. After multiple calls to FSA, I discovered that using the same parent information for multiple students is causing system conflicts. The temporary solution is to use different parent FSA IDs for each application, even if it means creating artificial email addresses. What worked for us was: 1. I used my FSA ID for my daughter's application 2. My husband used his FSA ID for our son's application 3. We entered identical financial information on both 4. After submission, we called FSA to ensure both applications were properly linked for accurate SAI calculation It's definitely not intuitive, but it does work. Don't give up - the financial aid is worth fighting for!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same issue with my two kids and was ready to give up. It's frustrating that the FAFSA system wasn't designed with multiple-student families in mind, but at least there are workarounds. For anyone else struggling with this, it sounds like the consensus is: use separate parent FSA IDs (different emails) for each student's application, enter identical financial information, then call FSA after submission to ensure proper linking. Has anyone had success with the verification process after using this workaround? I'm worried about potential complications when schools request documents if the parent information appears different across applications.

Any updates? Were you able to get it working? I'm curious which solution ended up fixing it for you.

So glad you got it figured out! This is actually a really common issue - I've seen this happen with so many families where the student thinks they're "done" but there's still a section or two incomplete. The FAFSA system is really picky about having everything 100% finished before it releases the contributor access. Your experience will definitely help other parents who run into the same problem. Thanks for updating us with the solution!

After you submit with estimates, here's what happens next: within about 3-5 days you'll get your initial SAI calculation. Mark your calendar for 30 days later to follow up if you haven't received your final tax information by then. When you update with final numbers, it takes about 3-7 days for the new SAI to calculate. Meanwhile, contact the financial aid offices at your schools and let them know your situation. Many schools have a special form for self-employed families that gives you a bit more time without losing priority status.

I'm in a similar boat but with one additional complication - my mom's small business had a really bad year in 2023 but did much better in 2024. Should I use the 2023 numbers that show lower income (which might help with aid) or try to estimate based on 2024 which is more accurate for our current situation? I don't want to get in trouble for understating our income, but I also don't want to hurt my aid chances by overstating it. Has anyone dealt with significant year-to-year income changes with self-employed parents?