UPDATE: I finally found the information! Thanks everyone for your help. For anyone else looking, the federal deadline for 2026-2027 FAFSA is June 30, 2027, but the California state deadline is March 2, 2026. I also discovered that some schools have much earlier priority deadlines for maximum aid consideration (some as early as December/January). I'm creating a calendar with all these dates now. The advice about calling with Claimyr might come in handy later when I actually start filling out the form and inevitably run into questions. This whole process feels unnecessarily complicated but I'm glad this community exists to help navigate it!

So glad you found the info you needed! Your experience really highlights how unnecessarily complex the whole system is. Creating that calendar is smart - I wish someone had told me to do that when I first started this process. One tip for when you do start filling out the form: save your progress frequently and don't try to complete it all in one sitting. The site has a tendency to time out if you're on it too long, and nothing's worse than losing all your work. Also, make sure you have all your tax documents ready before you start - the form will ask for specific line numbers from your tax returns. Good luck with your transfer applications! The financial aid maze gets easier once you've navigated it the first time.

Don't forget to have your son apply for private scholarships too!!! There are TONS of scholarships specifically for students whose parents have medical disabilities or hardships. Check with local community foundations, your employer, religious organizations, etc. My daughter got a $3000 scholarship from a local rotary club that specifically helps families dealing with medical crises. The financial aid office should be able to point you toward some resources!!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - dealing with a work injury AND trying to navigate financial aid is incredibly stressful. As someone who's been through a similar situation, I want to encourage you that Professional Judgment appeals really do work when you have legitimate circumstances like yours. A few additional tips based on my experience: 1. When documenting your medical expenses, don't forget to include related costs like mileage to appointments, medical equipment, prescription copays, and any modifications you've had to make to your home due to your injury. 2. Get a letter from your workers comp attorney (if you have one) documenting the disputed claims and timeline - this helps show the financial aid office that the denials aren't due to lack of medical necessity. 3. If your husband is working extra shifts, get documentation from his employer showing the increase in hours/income - this demonstrates your family is already doing everything possible to address the financial shortfall. 4. Contact your son's school's financial aid office directly and ask to speak with someone who handles Professional Judgment appeals. Many schools have specific staff who specialize in these cases and can walk you through their exact requirements. Don't give up! I've seen families get their SAI reduced significantly through these appeals. Your son's education is worth fighting for, and schools want to help students in genuine need stay enrolled.

Excellent troubleshooting! This is exactly why verifying all the basics is so important with the new FAFSA system. Those

Glad you got it working! Just wanted to add that for anyone still struggling with this - if you're close to your school's priority deadline and the parent invitation still isn't working after trying all these fixes, you can submit your FAFSA without the parent information first, then add your parent as a contributor later. It's not ideal but at least you'll meet the deadline. Your school's financial aid office can help you update it once the technical issues are resolved. Better to have an incomplete FAFSA submitted on time than miss the deadline entirely!

If he already completed entrance counseling and signed an MPN at his previous school, he typically wouldn't need to redo them. The MPN is usually good for 10 years of continuous education. However, some schools do request a new entrance counseling session specific to their institution. I'd suggest checking his studentaid.gov account - it will show the status of his MPN and entrance counseling.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm finding this conversation incredibly helpful! I'm going through a similar situation with my daughter who's also a transfer student. The confusion around different school portals is so real - it's like every institution has their own secret language for financial aid. One thing that worked for us was actually going to the financial aid office in person if possible. Sometimes the staff can walk you through their specific system much faster than trying to figure it out online. Also, if your son's school has a student success center or academic advising, they often know the ins and outs of the financial aid portal too and might be less busy than the main financial aid office. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences here - it's reassuring to know we're not the only ones struggling with these systems!

my son got zell miller last year and we had high SAI too... don't worry about it AT ALL for zell/hope. but make sure he keeps his grades up in his senior year!!!!! my sons friend lost zell eligibility because of senioritis lol. they check final transcripts

Your son's SAI of 74917 is definitely high, but here's the silver lining - it won't impact his Georgia state scholarships at all! With his 3.9 GPA and 1380 SAT, he's well above the requirements for Zell Miller (which only needs 3.7 GPA and 1200 SAT). That scholarship will cover full tuition at any Georgia public university, which is huge savings. For the schools you mentioned - UGA, GA Tech, and Kennesaw State - they all handle merit scholarships pretty fairly regardless of SAI. The key is making sure you've submitted everything by their priority deadlines. GA Tech and UGA both have additional merit opportunities beyond Zell Miller, especially if he applies to their honors programs. One tip: don't overlook the smaller GA public universities if cost is a major factor. Schools like Georgia Southern, Valdosta State, or Columbus State often offer generous additional merit scholarships to attract high-stat students like your son, sometimes even covering room and board on top of Zell Miller. Worth considering as financial safeties!