We did get selected for verification, but the financial aid office understood the situation. We explained we had to use this workaround because of the system limitations for parents without SSNs. They were fine with it once we provided the actual tax documents. The most important thing was getting the initial application through so they could start processing the aid package.

I'm a financial aid advisor at a community college, and I see this issue frequently. Here's what works consistently: 1. Have your daughter complete the FAFSA again electronically, entering 000-00-0000 for your SSN 2. For the parent without an SSN, you must use the paper signature page instead of creating an FSA ID (which requires an SSN). Have your daughter print the signature page after completing the online FAFSA, sign it manually, and mail it in. 3. Call the school's financial aid office immediately and let them know you've submitted with the signature page due to a parent without SSN. Many schools can work with a preliminary submission while waiting for the signature page to be processed. 4. Request the financial aid office to check if they can see the FAFSA in their system even before it's fully processed. Some schools can see pending FAFSAs and start preparing aid packages. 5. If all else fails, ask the school about emergency aid options or a payment plan while waiting for the official aid package. The good news is that schools understand these issues are common and most have procedures to help students in these situations.

Just a quick update - my son's blank pages finally started showing actual information this morning. It took exactly 6 days from when we first saw the problem. No explanation, no email, it just suddenly started working. Maybe check yours again today?

After helping several students with similar issues, I wanted to add that you should also try downloading the FAFSA status information as a PDF. Sometimes the website displays blank pages but the PDF download still works. Look for a small download or print icon near where the summary should be. Also, check if your school's financial aid office can see the processed results - sometimes they receive the information even when parents/students can't see it on their end.

u might qualify for the CCAMPIS program if ur school has it - its for independent students and helps with chadlcare costs during school. also look into emergency aid funds at ur school they sometimes have grants for situations like urs.

FAFSA is a complete joke for students with unsupportive middle/upper-income parents. I dropped out last year because of this exact situation. My parents make $120k combined but haven't given me a DIME since I was 18. Couldn't get loans, couldn't get aid, couldn't afford tuition on my own. The system ASSUMES parents support their kids financially which is just NOT REALITY for so many of us. One option nobody mentioned - if you're willing to wait, you automatically become independent for FAFSA at age 24. I know several people who worked for a few years and went back to school at 24+ just to avoid this nightmare.

My kid just started college last fall, and I was so confused by this whole FAFSA thing! We did ours last October, and yes, she did hers first then I did mine. What I didn't realize is that you have to do this EVERY YEAR! I thought once we were in the system we'd be set for all four years. But I guess we're about to start all over again for year two...

One important tip for your second year: make sure your daughter uses her existing FSA ID rather than creating a new one. A common mistake is students forgetting their FSA ID credentials and creating new ones, which can cause issues with linking to previous applications and sometimes delays processing. If she's forgotten her FSA ID information, there's a recovery process on the studentaid.gov website. And yes, as others have confirmed, the student still initiates the FAFSA and then adds parent contributors who complete their sections afterward.

this new formula is so confusing!!! i thought it was supposed to make things easier but now im worried about applying for next yr...does anyone know if they're gonna change it again or is this permanent??

UPDATE: I wanted to share what worked for us. After gathering all our documentation (medical bills, proof of reduced hours for my wife), we requested a Professional Judgment review with the financial aid office. We also used the Claimyr service that someone suggested to reach an FSA agent who explained exactly which parts of the formula affected us most (mainly the sibling adjustment change and how our retirement savings were counted). We just heard back today - they've restored $2,800 of the institutional scholarship and we'll be receiving an additional $950 work-study award that wasn't in the original package. Still a loss from previous years, but MUCH more manageable. For anyone else facing this issue - DEFINITELY appeal if you have any special circumstances, be extremely specific in your request, provide documentation for everything, and try to understand exactly which formula changes affected your situation so you can address them directly.