Speaking of FAFSA problems, has anyone else noticed that the new SAI calculation seems completely off? My family income actually decreased this year but somehow my SAI is $4,500 higher than last year's EFC. Makes no sense whatsoever.

UPDATE: Success! The incognito mode + keyboard navigation suggestion worked perfectly! I was able to enter my husband's birthdate and complete the contributor section. For anyone else having this issue, here's exactly what worked: 1. Chrome incognito window (Ctrl+Shift+N) 2. Logged into studentaid.gov 3. Used only Tab key to navigate between fields 4. Entered the date as MM/DD/YYYY with the forward slashes Now I'm finally able to submit our FAFSA! Thank you all for the help!

Just wanted to add that when you do speak with an agent, ask them to check for what's called a "contributor record mismatch." This is the technical term for what's happening in your case. They may need to reset your contributor status in the system so it properly connects to your spouse's application. Make sure to write down the name of the agent and get a case number for your records.

update?? did u get it fixed? im having the exact same prob now with my husband's application 😫

One important consideration: when you switch FAFSA contributors, the college financial aid office will likely notice the change in household information. Some schools have a policy of reviewing applications where the contributing parent changes year-to-year. This isn't necessarily a problem if the change is legitimate (as yours appears to be), but be prepared to provide a clear explanation and documentation. Also, remember that the 2025-2026 FAFSA uses the new Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation, which treats some types of income differently than the old EFC formula. This means the potential benefit of switching contributors might be different than you expect. If possible, I'd recommend using the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool with both parents' information to compare the potential impact.

To address a question that came up in the thread - yes, many financial aid offices do look at year-to-year changes in FAFSA applications, especially for continuing students. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with making a legitimate change, but consistency in reporting is something they monitor. If your daughter's financial support situation has genuinely changed, with her father now providing more support, then updating the FAFSA to reflect reality is appropriate. Just be prepared to explain and document the change if asked during verification. As a best practice, I recommend having a conversation with your daughter's financial aid office before making this change. Being proactive and transparent often helps avoid complications later.

Based on your follow-up comments, I can now see this is specifically a CU Boulder issue. Colorado law (C.R.S. §23-7-102) clearly establishes that domicile for tuition purposes requires physical presence and intent to make Colorado your permanent home.\n\nBoulder appears to be misapplying the \

This is INCREDIBLY helpful! Thank you for the specific statute and contact information. I've been asking for the legal basis for their decision and they keep giving vague answers. I'll email that address at the state level today and request the meeting with the actual Tuition Classification Officer, not just their assistants. This gives me hope that I might be able to resolve this!

Has your son checked if Berkeley offers any school-specific financial aid options? My daughter's university had several engineering-specific scholarships that weren't part of the standard financial aid package. Worth asking Berkeley's financial aid office directly!

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I'm going to try using Claimyr first to see if I can get our FAFSA issues resolved and speak to an actual human being at Federal Student Aid. If that doesn't work out, I'll look into the Parent PLUS loan option, and then explore private loans with SoFi and College Ave as backups. I really appreciate all the insights and warnings about variable rates and loan management - this community has been incredibly helpful!