Thank you everyone for the incredibly helpful advice! I've talked with my cousin and we're going to: 1) Gather all the documentation about her mom's death and dad's work situation, 2) Contact each school's financial aid office directly to explain the situation before submitting the FAFSA, and 3) Look into those special circumstances forms that several of you mentioned. Also going to try that Claimyr service to speak directly with an FSA agent since we've had no luck getting through on our own. I'll update here if we find a solution that might help others in similar situations!

I went through something very similar with my younger sister a few years ago. Her biological dad passed away when she was 16, and our mom remarried. The stepdad was financially well-off but made it clear he wasn't paying for college. What saved us was being proactive with the schools she applied to. Here's what worked: We called each financial aid office in early fall (way before FAFSA deadlines) and explained the situation. Most schools have seen this before and have specific procedures. Three out of four schools she applied to were able to work with us through their "professional judgment" process. The key was having documentation ready - death certificate, proof of the stepdad's refusal in writing (we had him sign a simple statement), and letters from us explaining the family dynamics. One school even told us they could treat it as if mom was unmarried for financial aid purposes once they reviewed everything. Your cousin shouldn't give up - the system has more flexibility than it appears on the surface, but you have to know how to navigate it. Start making those calls to financial aid offices now!

Update from my earlier comment: I just checked with a colleague in financial aid, and wanted to clarify that if your son has received his Student Aid Index (SAI), you can actually call each financial aid office with that number and ask for a preliminary aid estimate. Many offices can provide a rough package based on the SAI even before they've fully processed the FAFSA in their system. This could help you make a decision while waiting for official packages and while requesting scholarship extensions.

I'm in a very similar situation with my daughter and wanted to share what's been working for us. We contacted the scholarship foundations directly and explained the FAFSA delays - 4 out of 5 gave us extensions until June 30th without any hassle. The key was being proactive and reaching out before the deadline rather than waiting until the last minute. Also, don't forget to check if any of those scholarships are renewable - if they are, you definitely don't want to risk losing them over bureaucratic delays. One foundation even told us they've been getting so many extension requests this year that they're considering automatically extending all deadlines due to the widespread FAFSA issues. Stay strong and keep advocating for your son - the scholarship committees want to give away their money to deserving students, not take it back due to government processing delays!

Did you guys manage to fix this? My niece is having the exact same problem now and I'm trying to help her figure it out.

I'm so glad to hear this community exists! I'm a college freshman whose little brother is about to apply for his FAFSA next year, and reading through these posts is already teaching me so much about potential issues to watch out for. The browser compatibility problems seem to be a recurring theme - I'll definitely make sure he uses Chrome from the start and sticks to one device throughout the process. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update - I went to the financial aid office in person today and finally got everything straightened out. Turns out I was missing the Statement of Educational Purpose form and proof of high school completion. They said my subsidized loan should be disbursed within 5-7 business days once I get the statement notarized (or I can just sign it in their office). Thanks for all the help!

I went through V5 verification last year and it was such a headache! One tip that really helped me was to scan/photograph everything before submitting it - I had to resubmit my high school transcript twice because they said they "never received it." Also, if you're tight on time, ask your financial aid office if they accept digital signatures on the Statement of Educational Purpose. Some schools do, which can save you a trip to get it notarized. The whole process took about 3 weeks for me once I had all the right documents, so hopefully yours goes faster!

I think the entire FAFSA system is stupid. My son got NO financial aid because I made $92k last year, but they don't consider that I live in New Jersey where that barely covers rent and groceries. Meanwhile my nephew in Oklahoma got grants because his parents make $60k, which goes WAY further there. The whole system is broken.

I'm dealing with a similar issue but with a 403(b) rollover from my teaching job. The amount was much smaller ($23k) but it still bumped our SAI up significantly. I called one of the schools and they told me to submit a "Data Change Request" form along with the special circumstances paperwork. Apparently some schools have both processes? The financial aid officer said the Data Change Request gets processed faster because it goes directly to their FAFSA team instead of the general appeals committee. Might be worth asking about when you call!