Glad to hear you've submitted the FAFSA! One more thing to be aware of: since your son is transferring from a community college to a 4-year institution, he'll need to ensure that his financial aid is properly transferred. This means: 1. Having his community college remove him from their system after the current term ends 2. Making sure his new school is listed as his primary institution on the FAFSA 3. Checking if there are any transfer-specific scholarships he can still apply for (many schools have these!) Also, once he decides which school he'll attend, have him accept his financial aid package promptly. This is especially important for work-study opportunities, which can be limited for transfer students.

Just wanted to add that since your son is transferring mid-degree, make sure he understands how his Pell Grant eligibility works. The lifetime limit is 600% of a full award (equivalent to about 6 years of full-time enrollment), and his community college years count toward this total. It shouldn't be an issue for most students, but it's something to keep in mind for planning purposes. Also, if he's been receiving any state grants at the community college level, those programs sometimes have different rules for 4-year institutions. In my state, the grant amount actually increases when you transfer to a university, but the GPA requirements are stricter. Each state is different, so definitely check with your state's higher education agency about continuing eligibility.

That's a fantastic suggestion about co-ops! I just checked the school's website and they do have a co-op program for engineering students starting sophomore year. That could definitely help with years 2-4. We'll keep looking for outside scholarships too - haven't tried checking with my employer yet. Thank you!

Hey Levi! I'm new to this community but wanted to share something that might help. My family went through almost the exact same situation two years ago - our aid package was about $9K higher than expected. What really made the difference for us was being super organized with our appeal. We created a detailed spreadsheet showing the original estimate vs. actual costs, included copies of all our medical bills (we had some unexpected expenses too), and wrote a formal letter explaining our situation. The key was being factual and respectful, not emotional. We also scheduled an in-person meeting rather than just submitting paperwork. It took about 3 weeks, but they ended up increasing our aid by $6K per year! Don't give up - persistence really pays off in these situations. Your daughter's engineering program is worth fighting for!

Just got an official update from FSA - they've acknowledged the issue and expect to have it resolved by next Tuesday. In the meantime, they recommend either using the mobile app as mentioned above or contacting your school directly. They also said that downloading your FAFSA confirmation page (if you still have access to it) will show your SAI score, which gives you a general idea of your aid eligibility.

I'm having the exact same issue! Been trying to access my award information for the past two days and getting nowhere. It's so stressful when you're trying to make financial decisions for college. Thanks everyone for the suggestions - I'm going to try the mobile app right now and also reach out to my school's financial aid office first thing tomorrow morning. Really appreciate all the helpful advice in this thread!

UPDATE: I want to thank everyone for the advice! I submitted the correction online, then went to the financial aid office in person this morning with all my documentation. They were actually really helpful and said they'd put a note on my file to expedite the review once my corrected FAFSA comes through. They also gave me a special circumstances form to fill out explaining the error, which might help speed things up. The advisor I spoke with said this happens more often than people think and that I should be eligible for Pell Grant and other federal aid once my income is corrected. Such a relief! I'll post another update once everything is finalized.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a current college sophomore and I want to add that if anyone else is dealing with FAFSA corrections, it's also worth checking if your school has a FAFSA completion event or drop-in hours where financial aid staff can help you make corrections in real-time. My school does "FAFSA Fridays" where you can bring your documents and they'll help you navigate the correction process right there. It's way less stressful than trying to figure it out alone, and you get immediate confirmation that you're doing everything correctly. Also, don't forget to update your state financial aid application if your state requires a separate one - some states use FAFSA data but you might need to notify them of corrections separately!

They'll already have your SAI from your FAFSA data, but it's always a good idea to talk directly with financial aid officers at each school, especially if you have any special circumstances that weren't captured in your FAFSA. With your negative SAI, you should definitely ask each school about additional need-based scholarships or grants they might offer beyond the federal aid programs.

Congrats on the negative SAI! That's actually great news for your aid eligibility. I went through this same confusion last year when the SAI system first launched. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier - make sure to also look into state grant programs in addition to federal aid. Many states have their own need-based grants that use similar criteria to the Pell Grant, and with your -579 SAI, you'd likely qualify. I ended up getting an extra $2,000 per year from my state just by filling out one additional form. Also, don't forget to check if your schools participate in work-study programs - that can be another $2,000-3,000 per year in earning potential!