That's fantastic news! I'm so glad the pending records approach worked for you. It's really helpful to know that emailing the confirmation page and specifically asking about pending records can get things moving. For anyone else dealing with this issue, it sounds like the key is being persistent and asking the right questions rather than just waiting for the system to magically fix itself. Thanks for updating us on what worked - this whole thread is going to be super useful for other people stuck in FAFSA limbo!

I'm going through the exact same thing and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I submitted my FAFSA in late April for grad school and it's been radio silence from my financial aid office. Reading through everyone's experiences, I think the key takeaways are: 1) Email your confirmation page showing your SAI score to your financial aid office, 2) Ask specifically about "pending records" rather than just received applications, and 3) Request a preliminary aid package based on your SAI while waiting for full transmission. It's reassuring to know this is a widespread system issue and not something we did wrong. Going to try these steps tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone for sharing your solutions!

oh I forgot to mention! for some of the bigger scholarships theres multiple rounds, so the deadlines might seem far away but theyre actually for the FINAL round. like the coca-cola scholarship has regional deadlines way before the main one everyone knows about. double check everything!!

Welcome to the scholarship journey! As someone who just went through this process with my oldest, I wanted to add a few more tips. First, don't overlook your state's specific scholarship programs - many states have really generous merit-based aid that people forget about. Also, since your daughter is in TRIO/Upward Bound, check if your state has any first-generation college student scholarships - those can be substantial and less competitive than national ones. And here's something I wish I'd known earlier: some employers offer scholarships not just to their employees' kids, but also to kids of their vendors or customers. So think broadly about any organizations you're connected to through work, church, community groups, etc. The smaller, local scholarships often have way fewer applicants than the big national ones, so your daughter's odds are actually better! Good luck - you're asking all the right questions!

Follow-up on your question about financial separation: Sharing child expenses doesn't automatically disqualify the separation status, especially for mutual children. What matters more is whether they're maintaining truly separate financial lives (separate banking, separate housing costs, etc.). Document everything carefully: - Separate lease agreements or mortgage documents - Utility bills showing separate addresses - Bank statements showing separate finances - Any informal separation agreement they might have The verification risk is higher when claiming separation without legal documentation, but proper documentation can make the process smoother. Each school's financial aid office has some discretion in these situations.

Just wanted to add from my experience - I went through something similar two years ago. The key thing that helped me was getting a letter from each parent stating their intent for the separation to be permanent, along with documentation of separate households. My financial aid office accepted this even without legal separation papers. The process took about 6 weeks longer than normal, but it worked out. Don't get discouraged if you hit verification - just be prepared with all your documentation upfront. Also, consider reaching out to multiple schools if you're applying to several, as different aid offices can have slightly different interpretations of these situations.

Based on your follow-up comments, I think you have more options than you initially realized. With a 3.7 GPA and 27 ACT, your daughter has a good chance at merit scholarships at Western State. Their automatic merit scholarships typically range from $4,000-$8,000 per year for those stats. Regarding your medical expenses: ABSOLUTELY mention those in a special circumstances appeal. Medical expenses over 11% of your income can significantly adjust your SAI calculation. Make sure to document everything thoroughly. At minimum, your daughter should qualify for: - $5,500 in federal loans her first year - Likely around $5,000-$7,000 in merit scholarships - Potentially work-study or campus employment ($3,000-$4,000/year) That could bring the actual out-of-pocket cost down to around $8,000-$10,000 per year, which is much more manageable than the full $24,000.

I'm in a very similar situation as a newcomer to all this! My son is a junior and I'm already starting to panic about college costs. Reading through all these responses gives me so much hope - I had no idea about federal loans not requiring parent credit scores or that merit aid could bring costs down so significantly. @Mateo Rodriguez - your daughter's stats sound great for merit scholarships! I've been lurking in college financial aid groups and keep seeing that combination of filling out FAFSA + applying for merit aid + documenting special circumstances can really open doors. The medical expense documentation sounds like it could make a real difference in your case. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread is incredibly informative for those of us just starting this journey!

I'm dealing with a very similar situation with my son who has autism and severe social anxiety. What worked for us was requesting a meeting with both financial aid AND disability services at the same time - don't handle these separately. We brought his neuropsychological evaluation and a letter from his therapist explaining why traditional work-study would be detrimental to his mental health. The key was framing it as a reasonable accommodation request rather than just declining aid. They ended up finding him a position in the library's back office doing inventory scanning - completely solo work with minimal human interaction. He actually loves it now because it's structured and predictable. Also, document everything in writing. Email follow-ups after every phone call or meeting. Some schools drag their feet on these requests, but having a paper trail helps push things along.

I'm new here but going through something very similar with my daughter who also has autism. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea there were so many options available! One thing I wanted to add that might help: when we were struggling with a similar situation last year, our state's disability advocacy organization provided free guidance on navigating college accommodations. They actually helped us draft the accommodation request letter and knew exactly which laws to reference. Many states have these organizations and they're often more familiar with the financial aid accommodation process than I expected. Also, if your daughter is already registered with disability services at her school, they should have documentation on file that you can reference in your appeal. That saved us a lot of time versus getting new evaluations. Best of luck - it sounds like you have a solid plan now with all the great advice here!