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why does evryone act like this is complicated??? you get accepted, you get financial aid, you get bill, you pay whats left. its not rocket science lol
@Grace Patel I completely understand your frustration! As a fellow first-time college parent, I went through this exact same confusion last year. Here's what I wish someone had told me upfront: The key is understanding that there are actually THREE different timelines running simultaneously: 1. Financial aid timeline (FAFSA → SAI → award letter) 2. Billing timeline (when actual bills are generated) 3. Payment timeline (when money is due) For State University specifically, based on what others have shared, you're looking at award letters in April/May, but bills won't come until late July/August. The disconnect between these timelines is what makes this so confusing! My advice: Call State's bursar office this week and ask for their specific billing calendar for Fall 2025. Also ask about payment plan enrollment deadlines - as @Liam O'Reilly mentioned, these can be much earlier than you'd expect. Set up both parent portal access AND calendar reminders for each deadline. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for asking these questions - navigating college finances is genuinely complex, especially when schools don't communicate clearly about timelines!
@Cassandra Moon Thank you so much for breaking this down into those three timelines - that s'the clearest explanation I ve'gotten yet! I never realized they were separate processes running at the same time. I m'definitely calling the bursar office tomorrow morning and getting those specific dates. It s'reassuring to know other parents have felt this lost too. The lack of clear communication from schools really doesn t'help families who are new to this process.
What state are you in? Some states have special programs for students with uncooperative parents. My roommate got a special grant through our state aid commission when her dad refused to provide info for FAFSA.
I went through something similar last year! My dad was super paranoid about "government overreach" and refused to cooperate with verification at first. What finally worked was having my mom show him the official FSA website explaining that verification is completely normal and required by law - not some special targeting. She also pointed out that he'd already given the IRS all this same information when he filed taxes, so the school was just confirming what the government already had. Maybe try approaching it from the angle that this is standard procedure that happens to thousands of students, not some conspiracy against your family? Also, emphasize that without this, you'll lose ALL financial aid - not just some of it. Sometimes parents don't realize how much money is actually at stake. Good luck!
Thank you all for the advice! I'm definitely convinced to tackle the Sallie Mae loans first while keeping my federal loans on an income-driven plan. I'll check out the SAVE program on StudentAid.gov and see if I can get my private loans refinanced to a lower rate. Such a relief to have a clear plan now!
Smart decision, Emma! You've got a solid plan. One more tip since you mentioned refinancing - shop around with multiple lenders (SoFi, Earnest, CommonBond, etc.) as they all have different qualification criteria and rates. Some will give you rate quotes without a hard credit pull initially. Also, make sure to apply for refinancing soon after you start your new job - lenders like to see stable employment history. Good luck with your new career and tackling those loans!
This is such great advice about shopping around for refinancing! I'm in a similar situation and didn't realize you could get rate quotes without affecting your credit score initially. @Emma Davis - definitely take advantage of that new job status when applying. Lenders love seeing recent graduates with stable employment. Also, some employers offer student loan repayment assistance as a benefit, so might be worth checking if your new company has any programs like that!
I just got off the phone with my daughter's financial aid office. They confirmed that Parent PLUS applications won't be available until they process her FAFSA and send out her award letter, which they expect to do in early April. The June deadline is when everything needs to be completed, not when applications open. Thanks everyone for the clarification - I feel much better now knowing that I'm not missing anything!
As a parent who just went through this process last year, I can confirm what others have said - the Parent PLUS application won't appear on studentaid.gov until after your daughter's school processes her FAFSA and sends out the financial aid award letter. This usually happens between March and May. The timing can vary significantly by school, so I'd recommend calling your daughter's financial aid office directly to ask when they typically release award letters. That way you'll have a better idea of when to expect the Parent PLUS option to become available. The June deadline they mentioned is likely when they want all financial aid paperwork completed, not when applications open. Don't stress - you're not behind schedule!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who went through this recently. I think I'll give the financial aid office a call tomorrow to get their specific timeline - that's a great suggestion. I was getting worried that I was missing some important deadline, but it sounds like this is just how the process works. Really appreciate everyone's help in this thread!
Dylan Baskin
btw did u save the confirmation # when u submitted? always keep that in case something goes wrong
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Justin Chang
•I think I did, but now I need to find where I wrote it down. Good reminder!
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Zainab Ibrahim
As someone who just went through this exact same situation with my son last month, I can confirm what others have said - "processed" and "closed" appearing together is totally normal! It's just really poor wording on their part. The key thing to look for is that SAI number showing up, which it sounds like you have. That means the calculation is complete and the schools should receive the data soon. We were stressed about the same thing, but his financial aid packages started coming in about 2 weeks later from his schools. One tip: create a simple spreadsheet to track each school's financial aid requirements and deadlines. Some wanted additional forms by specific dates that weren't mentioned anywhere on the FAFSA site. Having everything organized in one place really helped us stay on top of it all!
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