Quick update based on information just released yesterday: The Department of Education announced they will be enabling the school list editing feature sooner than mid-April. No exact date yet, but they're aiming for early March. This is in response to the high volume of similar complaints. In the meantime, still contact your new schools as they may have workarounds in place.

After reading through all this I decided to try contacting one of my daughter's schools directly like others suggested. Just got off the phone with them and they were super helpful! They said this is happening to LOTS of people and they have a form we can fill out to verify our intent to apply for aid even though the FAFSA hasn't officially been sent to them yet. They said as long as we get that form in by their deadline, they'll hold our financial aid package until the FAFSA system allows the update in March/April. Might be worth asking if your new schools have something similar!

DONT FORGET the new FAFSA for 2025-2026 has that new SAI score instead of EFC too!! The whole system changed and it's SUPER confusing. My cousin's application got all messed up because she didn't realize how different everything is now.

The worst part of all this is the timing. If you're trying to start school this fall (2025), you're cutting it close with financial aid. Most schools have priority deadlines for FAFSA in February-March for the following fall semester. Missing those can mean thousands less in institutional aid even if you still qualify for federal aid. If I were you, I'd: 1. File both tax returns ASAP 2. Submit FAFSA immediately after 3. Contact your school's financial aid office directly 4. Ask about any emergency or late consideration policies they have 5. Get documentation of your custody situation ready The tax dispute with your ex is important, but it's a separate battle that can be fought after your financial aid is secured.

One other important thing to note: If UAB has already requested verification, make sure you're monitoring your son's student portal AND email for notices. Alabama schools often communicate verification requirements through the school's system rather than through the Federal Student Aid portal. Also, if you resolve the federal verification first, many Alabama schools will simplify the state verification process and potentially just require the additional state forms rather than duplicating documentation efforts.

The Alabama SAI will always differ somewhat from the federal calculation due to the state's inclusion of additional assets (like home equity). However, resolving federal verification will ensure your base financial data is correct. Once that's done, the Alabama differential should only reflect their additional factors, not errors in the underlying data. So yes, definitely resolve the federal side first, then address any remaining state discrepancies afterward with the financial aid office at UAB.

One important thing to remember is that the Parent Plus loan isn't directly tied to the SAI calculation or the initial financial aid package. Once your son receives any financial aid offer from a school, you can apply for the Parent Plus loan separately to cover remaining costs up to the cost of attendance. Even if there are delays with the initial aid package, you'll typically have time to complete the Parent Plus application before payment is due. The Parent Plus application process is separate from the FAFSA and usually takes just 3-5 business days for credit approval.

I submitted my FAFSA on January 22nd and just received my SAI yesterday. The entire financial aid process seems much slower this year with the new system. Once we got the SAI, I immediately called my daughter's top choice school and they confirmed they had received the information. One suggestion - check your spam folder regularly. My SAI notification went to spam, and I only found it when I manually checked. Also make sure your contact information is up to date on studentaid.gov.

Something to keep in mind - your daughter's financial aid package will likely improve after freshman year. The loan limits increase ($6,500 for sophomore year, $7,500 for junior/senior years). Additionally, once she's on campus and established, she'll have more opportunities for departmental scholarships and upper-level work opportunities that often pay better than first-year work study positions. Also, don't overlook outside scholarships! Local community organizations, parent employers, and industry associations often offer scholarships that have much less competition than national ones. Even small scholarships of $500-$1000 can add up quickly.

Based on your SAI, your family is expected to contribute about $31,422 per year toward college costs. Any college with a cost of attendance higher than that amount means your daughter would have demonstrated need. For example: If a college costs $50,000/year total (tuition, room, board, etc.): - Your demonstrated need would be $18,578 ($50,000 - $31,422) - This can be filled with various aid types (loans, work-study, grants) If a college costs $25,000/year: - You'd have no demonstrated need since your SAI exceeds the cost - You'd still get the unsubsidized Direct Loan ($5,500) since that's not need-based This is why you might see very different packages from different schools depending on their total cost.