Yes, being an independent student helps in your situation! For independent students, the SAI calculation treats spousal income differently than it would for dependent students with parental income. You can use the Federal Student Aid Estimator (https://studentaid.gov/aid-estimator/) to run scenarios. Enter his information as an independent married student with both incomes to see the potential impact. Also, many aid programs like Pell Grants have their own thresholds. If his EFC/SAI is still within certain ranges, the change in aid might be less dramatic than you fear. Institutional aid (aid from the college itself) varies widely in how it's awarded - some schools have more flexibility than others.

Just wanted to add that timing matters for the professional judgment review too. Don't wait until the last minute - submit your FAFSA as soon as it opens in October, then immediately contact the financial aid office about a professional judgment review. Some schools have limited funds for adjustments and it's first-come, first-served. Also, keep copies of everything you submit and follow up if you don't hear back within a reasonable time. The squeaky wheel gets the grease with financial aid offices sometimes. Good luck with your wedding and hope everything works out with the aid situation!

has anybody elses college sent them options for if they get less aid? my daughters school sent this email about alternative payment plans and parent plus loan info...felt kinda ominous tbh!!

This is all so helpful but also terrifying! I'm in a similar boat - middle income with two kids who will both be in college next year. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like we need to prepare for a significant reduction in aid. The elimination of the sibling discount seems like it's hitting families like ours the hardest. I'm grateful for the advice about contacting financial aid offices early and being proactive about appeals. Has anyone had success with private scholarships or other funding sources to help make up the difference? I'm starting to think we need to cast a much wider net for alternative funding options.

For anyone dealing with this issue: document everything. Take screenshots of submission confirmations, save all emails, and note the dates of any calls or attempts to resolve the issue. If your aid is delayed because of FAFSA processing problems beyond your control, having this documentation can help your school's financial aid office work with you on deadline extensions.

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can confirm that the signature issue after corrections is super common but fixable! The key thing to remember is that ANY change to your FAFSA invalidates all previous signatures - even if the person didn't make the actual correction. So if you corrected income info, both you AND your parent need to sign again. Log into studentaid.gov, go to your FAFSA, and look for the "Sign & Submit" section. You'll probably see that one signature is missing. Once you get both signatures in, it should process within a week. Also, definitely email your financial aid office to give them a heads up about the delay - they're usually understanding about FAFSA processing issues that are out of your control.

When my daughter was in this situation, we had to make the tough choice between her dream out-of-state school and the affordable in-state option. She chose the affordable route and honestly? BEST DECISION EVER. She graduated with minimal debt and is now in her dream graduate program. Not saying your son should give up his dream school, but don't discount the extreme financial burden of that $10K gap EVERY YEAR for four years. That's $40K+ with interest if you're borrowing. Sometimes the practical choice sets them up for better long-term success and graduate school options.

As someone who works in higher education, I want to add a few more resources that might help bridge that gap: 1. Check if the university offers emergency or bridge loans - these are short-term, low-interest loans specifically for situations like yours while waiting on scholarship decisions 2. Look into cooperative education (co-op) programs in engineering - many allow students to alternate semesters of study with paid work experience, which can significantly offset costs 3. Contact the engineering department directly about research assistantships or tutoring positions - these often come with tuition remission or stipends 4. Some universities have "completion grants" or "retention scholarships" that aren't widely advertised but are available for students who might not enroll due to small funding gaps 5. Consider reaching out to alumni networks in your area - many have informal scholarship programs or mentorship opportunities that include financial support The timing is frustrating, but don't lose hope! Many families piece together funding from multiple sources, and engineering programs often have more departmental funding available than other majors. Keep advocating for your son - the squeaky wheel often gets the grease in financial aid offices.

Thank you all for the advice. We're going to have our daughter take out the maximum in her own name first ($5,500 for freshman year), then use Parent PLUS for the remainder. We'll also appeal the financial aid offer to see if they can do any better given some medical expenses we had last year that weren't reflected in our FAFSA. Still disappointed about the loan forgiveness limitations, but at least we have a clearer picture now of what we're getting into. We'll likely use that Claimyr service to confirm everything directly with FSA before signing anything.

Just wanted to add that you should also check if your daughter's school participates in any state-specific loan forgiveness programs for teachers. Some states have their own teacher loan forgiveness programs that might have different eligibility requirements than federal PSLF. Since your wife is already in education, she might know about these programs or have colleagues who've used them. Also, make sure to keep detailed records of all your Parent PLUS loan payments and your wife's employment at the Title I school - even though Parent PLUS loans aren't directly eligible for PSLF, the rules around federal loan programs do sometimes change, and having documentation could be helpful if new forgiveness options become available in the future.