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Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! I've started gathering our documentation (green cards, 2023 tax returns, entry documents) and drafted a letter explaining our immigration timeline. My daughter is contacting her school's financial aid office tomorrow to ask about any additional forms they might require. I feel much more confident about moving forward with the FAFSA application now. I'll update once we've submitted everything in case it helps other immigrant families in similar situations.
good luck!! hope ur daughter gets the aid she needs!!
Just wanted to add that you should also check if your daughter's school participates in CSS Profile for additional institutional aid. Some private colleges use this form alongside FAFSA for distributing their own scholarship funds. The CSS Profile has different requirements and might ask for additional documentation about your family's financial situation abroad before moving to the US. It's worth asking the financial aid office about this when your daughter contacts them tomorrow!
One more important point: If you're facing an enrollment deposit deadline at a school but haven't received your financial aid package yet, contact the admissions office (not just financial aid) and request an extension on your deposit deadline. Many schools are granting extensions this year due to the FAFSA delays. Get this request in writing via email so you have documentation.
I'm in the exact same boat! My FAFSA was processed around the same time as yours (March 20th) and I'm still waiting on packages from 6 schools. The uncertainty is killing me because I need to make a decision by May 1st. What's really frustrating is that some schools have been completely radio silent while others at least sent acknowledgment emails saying they received my ISIR. I've been checking my student portals obsessively but nothing yet. Reading through these comments is both reassuring (I'm not alone) and terrifying (this could take months). Definitely going to start making calls this week before my anxiety gets worse!
my niece works in financial aid at community college and she says they are telling students to just wait until march 15 if possible. the partial system is causing more problems than its solving. but if ur deadline is before then call your school!!!
I'm dealing with this exact same issue! I've been trying to correct my student asset information for three days now and keep getting that "unable to complete action" error. Based on what everyone's sharing here, it sounds like financial corrections are the most problematic right now during this soft launch. I'm going to try the suggestion about waiting 24 hours after clearing everything and logging out completely. If that doesn't work, I'll definitely contact my school's financial aid office with screenshots like @Micah Franklin suggested. One question for anyone who's gotten through - did you get any confirmation email when your correction actually processed, or did it just silently update? I want to make sure I know when/if it actually goes through! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - at least we know we're not alone in this mess! 🤞
Hey @Zoe Christodoulou! I'm new here but dealing with the exact same frustration. From what I've been reading in this thread, it seems like financial corrections (especially investment/asset info) are basically broken in this soft launch version. To answer your question about confirmations - I haven't gotten through yet, but my friend who finally succeeded last week said she got an email confirmation about 2 hours after the correction went through. So you should definitely get some kind of notification when it works. I'm planning to try the "wait 24 hours after clearing everything" method too. If we're both still stuck by tomorrow, maybe we should both contact our schools' financial aid offices together with all these screenshots everyone's talking about. At least we have documentation that the system is the problem, not us! Good luck! 🤞
As someone who just went through this nightmare process with my older kid two years ago (pre-FAFSA redesign chaos), I feel for all of you! A few tips that might help while you're waiting: 1. Contact the financial aid offices at your top choice schools directly - many are creating "estimated" aid packages that include projected TAG amounts based on your FAFSA info 2. Most schools are being much more flexible with deposit deadlines this year, so don't be afraid to ask for an extension 3. If you're torn between two schools, consider putting down a deposit at your top choice if you can afford to potentially lose it - better than missing out entirely The waiting is absolutely brutal, but remember that TAG funding is allocated by the state and won't "run out" like some other aid programs. Once HESAA gets the data they need from the feds, your award will be processed. Hang in there - you'll have answers soon enough to make informed decisions!
This is such helpful advice, thank you! I'm definitely going to call the financial aid offices directly. Did your older kid end up getting their full TAG award eventually, or were there any issues with the final amount being different from what was estimated?
I'm in the exact same situation and it's been such a stressful time! My family's been checking NJFAMS obsessively and calling HESAA with no luck. What's really frustrating is that this delay affects our entire college decision process - we can't compare true costs between schools without knowing our TAG amount. I did find one thing that helped a little: I called the financial aid office at my top choice school (TCNJ) and they were actually really understanding. They created an estimated aid package for me using last year's TAG table and my SAI, and they said they'd honor that estimate even if the final amount is slightly different. Maybe other NJ schools are doing the same? Also, has anyone tried contacting their state legislators about this? I'm wondering if enough pressure from families might get HESAA to provide more specific timelines instead of just saying "soon.
That's a great idea about contacting state legislators! I hadn't thought of that approach. TCNJ sounds like they're being really proactive with the estimated packages - I'm going to call the schools my daughter is considering to see if they'll do something similar. It would be such a relief to have at least a ballpark number to work with. Thanks for sharing what worked for you!
Darcy Moore
congrats! now prepare for the next wave of fafsa headaches lol. took like a month to get my sai number after submitting everything
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Samantha Howard
So glad you got it working! I'm a new member here but dealing with the exact same nightmare right now. My mom and I have been stuck on the parent invite step for over a week and it's driving us both crazy. Going to try your exact combo tomorrow morning - deleting the invite, turning off ad blocker, and sending super early. Fingers crossed! This whole new FAFSA system is such a mess compared to what my older brother went through a few years ago. Thanks for posting the update with what actually worked!
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