One last piece of advice: Your financial circumstances and aid eligibility can change from year to year. After your first year, if you find your SAI is too high and you're not receiving enough aid, you can always request a Professional Judgment review (sometimes called a Special Circumstances review) from your school's financial aid office. Common situations that might qualify for reconsideration include: - Loss of income or employment - Extraordinary medical expenses - Change in parent marital status - Support of extended family members The financial aid office has discretion to adjust your aid based on these circumstances, even if they aren't reflected in your FAFSA.

Welcome to the wonderful world of annual FAFSA renewals! 😅 I know it feels overwhelming as a new student, but you've got this. Everyone here has given you excellent advice already. One tip I'd add: start gathering your documents early each year. I create a "FAFSA prep" checklist in September that includes getting tax transcripts, updating my FSA ID security info, and making sure my parents have their tax documents ready. This way when October 1st rolls around, I'm not scrambling to find everything. Also, don't be discouraged if your first renewal feels almost as complicated as your original application - by your third year, you'll be flying through it! The pre-populated fields really do make a huge difference once you get used to the process. Good luck with your first year of college! The financial aid paperwork is tedious but so worth it when that aid money hits your account. 🎓

something no one mentioned is that sometimes cheaper schools actually end up more expensive? my brother transferred from a private school with a big scholarship to a state school thinking it would be cheaper but he got way less aid at the public school so his out of pocket was higher. make sure u run the actual numbers.

I'm new to this community but going through something similar with my daughter. One thing I learned from our financial aid counselor is to make sure you understand the "Return to Title IV" policy if your son does transfer mid-semester. If he withdraws after completing less than 60% of the semester, he might have to pay back some of the federal aid he's already received. This could create an unexpected financial burden on top of everything else. The school's financial aid office should be able to calculate this for you based on when he would withdraw. Also, some schools have "academic fresh start" programs where students can essentially reset their GPA after a certain period - might be worth asking about if he does transfer to a new school. Wishing you and your son the best during this stressful time!

While you're waiting for your SAI to be calculated, this is a good time to check with your school about any supplemental forms they might require. Many schools, especially private institutions, require the CSS Profile or their own institutional forms in addition to the FAFSA. Missing these deadlines can limit your institutional aid regardless of your FAFSA status.

Wow, 3 months is absolutely brutal! I'm so sorry you had to go through all that stress. I'm actually in a similar situation right now - my FAFSA has been stuck on "needs correction" for about 6 weeks and I keep getting different error messages every time I try to fix it. The whole system feels completely broken this year. Reading through everyone's responses here is actually really helpful though! I didn't know about checking spam folders or that schools might grant housing deposit extensions. I'm definitely going to call my school's financial aid office tomorrow to see if they can work with me on deadlines while this gets sorted out. Fingers crossed your SAI comes through quickly! Keep us updated on how it goes - it gives the rest of us hope that there's actually light at the end of this tunnel 🤞

For those still waiting, here's what to expect in the coming weeks: 1. Your status will change from "Processing" to "Processed" 2. Your SAI should appear on your dashboard 3. Schools will receive your data within 3-5 days after processing 4. Most colleges will begin sending financial aid packages 2-3 weeks after receiving FAFSA data If you have specific deadlines approaching, don't hesitate to contact your schools directly. Most institutions are being flexible this year given the nationwide delays.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who's been through this process before (though not with the new system). The waiting is absolutely brutal, especially when you're trying to make major financial decisions. One thing that helped us last cycle was creating a spreadsheet with all the schools' adjusted deadlines and financial aid timelines. Most schools have posted updated information on their websites about FAFSA delays - it's worth checking each school's financial aid page for their specific policies this year. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you have your FSA ID saved and check that all your schools are listed correctly in your FAFSA. Hang in there everyone - this too shall pass!

Just a clarification on the tax year information - for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, they'll be using 2024 tax information (not 2023 as someone mentioned above). This is due to the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. So any income your son earns in 2024 would affect the 2025-2026 aid calculation. That said, with the protection allowance of $9,410, working 12 hours weekly at $15/hour should still keep him under or very close to that threshold, meaning minimal impact on his Pell eligibility.

As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm that the $9,410 protection allowance for student income is accurate for 2025-2026. Your son's projected earnings of around $9,360 annually would fall just under this threshold, so his Pell Grant should remain intact. One thing I'd add is to keep detailed records of his work hours and earnings throughout the year. If he ever gets close to that threshold, he can adjust his schedule accordingly. Also, many campus jobs are flexible with student schedules during finals and busy academic periods, which is a huge advantage over off-campus work. The experience and potential networking opportunities from a campus bookstore job could be invaluable - he'll interact with faculty, staff, and other students regularly. Plus, many campus positions offer perks like textbook discounts or first access to used books, which could save money in other ways!