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my brother went thru this last year and he said the most annoying part was each school formats their aid letters totally different so its super confusing to compare them side by side. some schools make loans look like scholarships if ur not reading carefully
the whole system is broken!! i finally got my part done for my son but now his SAI is way higher than the old EFC would have been with the EXACT SAME financial info as last year. how is that even possible????? anyone else seeing crazy high SAI numbers?
The SAI calculation is different from the old EFC formula - they changed several factors including how they assess home equity, the income protection allowance, and how they handle multiple students in college. Many middle-income families are seeing higher numbers this year. I'd suggest running the net price calculators on your son's colleges' websites as they may have adjusted their institutional aid to account for the formula changes.
UPDATE: I finally got through the system this morning! For anyone else struggling, here's what worked: 1. Used Chrome in incognito mode 2. Created separate browser profiles for each child 3. Logged in at 5:30 AM (seriously) 4. Used text message for MFA instead of email The IRS data transfer actually worked smoothly once I got past the authentication. Both applications now show completed status with confirmation numbers. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!
Congrats! Did you get to see your SAI numbers yet? I'm curious how they compare to the old EFC from previous years.
also tell her to check if schools need the CSS Profile too not just FAFSA!!!! my kid missed out on aid from NYU cuz we didnt know they needed both smh
This is absolutely crucial advice. Many private schools and some public universities require both the FAFSA and CSS Profile. The CSS Profile is more detailed and lets schools use their own methodology for calculating aid. Even with a -1500 SAI, missing the CSS Profile deadline could mean losing out on significant institutional aid at schools that require it.
Update: So we asked about CSS Profile requirements and are checking each school's website for their specific forms. I also had her email all the financial aid offices to confirm they received her FAFSA with the correct SAI. Thanks everyone for your help! This is all so new to us.
Great steps! One more thing worth checking: some schools have special scholarships specifically for first-generation college students. Since you mentioned her daughter is first-gen, make sure she's applying for those opportunities as well. Sometimes these are separate applications with different deadlines from the general financial aid process.
THIS SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN!! Why should students have to jump through 500 hoops just to get the loans they QUALIFY FOR?? My blood pressure goes up just thinking about my experience with this exact situation. The financial aid office acts like they're doing you a favor by processing your loans. IT'S LITERALLY THEIR JOB!!! Sorry for the rant but seriously - be prepared to be very persistent and don't take no for an answer.
One more thing - since we're already in July, ask specifically about their emergency loan programs too. Many schools offer short-term emergency loans to bridge the gap while federal aid is processing. This could help cover initial expenses until the federal loans come through. Also, double-check that your daughter doesn't have any holds on her account (library fines, parking tickets, etc.) as these can delay financial aid processing.
Rachel Clark
my school has this thing were u can become a RA mid year if someone quits and it covers housing right away!! maybe ur school has that? also check with ur states higher ed department becuz some states have emergency grants for college students that arent through the school
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Ella Thompson
•That's a great idea about the RA position! I'll check if there are any mid-year openings. And I didn't know states had separate grants - I'll look into that too.
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Amelia Cartwright
One more suggestion - consider taking one fewer class if possible. If you drop from 15 credits to 12 (still full-time for financial aid purposes), you might save enough to make your current funds stretch. Then you can make up that class in summer when you hopefully have more scholarship money lined up. I did this my sophomore year and it saved me about $1,800.
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Ella Thompson
•That's actually brilliant. I'm currently enrolled in 16 credits, so I could drop one 3-credit course and still be full time. That might be the simplest solution to at least reduce what I owe right now. Thank you!!
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