Yes, schools are absolutely still reviewing special circumstances appeals! In fact, this is more important than ever given that the FAFSA is using older tax data (2022) that may not reflect current situations. Document your changed circumstances thoroughly (termination letter, unemployment benefits statement, etc.) and contact each school's financial aid office about their specific appeal process. Many schools have streamlined their appeals process this year knowing these issues would arise.

omg thank you so much!! ill tell my parents to start collecting all that paperwork now. this gives me hope!

Based on everything shared here, you're dealing with two separate issues: 1. FAFSA dependency status - determines whose income is counted for aid calculation 2. State residency for tuition purposes - determines in-state vs out-of-state rates For #1, you need the Dependency Override I mentioned earlier. For #2, you need to follow the specific residency appeal process for your Michigan university, which should include: - Documentation of 12+ months physical presence - Proof of financial ties to Michigan - Evidence you've cut ties with Nevada - Documentation of your aunt's legal relationship to you I recommend scheduling a meeting with both the residency determination office AND the financial aid office together, so they can coordinate. Often these departments don't communicate well with each other, which leaves students caught in the middle.

u should also check if ur schol has hardship grants or emergency aid. my friend got like $5000 when his tuition went up and he couldnt pay

OK but can we talk about how insane it is that they expect parents who don't even talk to their kids to fill out FAFSA? My brother went through this exact thing and almost couldn't go to college because of it. The whole system needs to be redesigned.

UPDATE: I finally got through to FSA after using that Claimyr service someone recommended. The agent was super helpful and explained that I can start the FAFSA without my mom's information and then document the special circumstances. She also suggested I gather evidence that I don't live with or receive support from my mom (like my current address documentation, utility bills in my name, etc.). I've also scheduled a meeting with my school's financial aid office next week. They said they might be able to help with a professional judgment review once my FAFSA is submitted. Thank you all for the advice - I'm still stressed but at least I have a plan now!

Has anyone mentioned that they now want MUCH more investment information???? Like literally every single account. We had to report my husband's small employee stock purchase plan that we'd completely forgotten about and it delayed our whole application by THREE WEEKS because we had to get special valuation statements. They even wanted information about a tiny inheritance my husband received that was only $5,400! Ridiculous how they penalize families who save responsibly while giving massive aid to families who never bothered to save a cent for college.

Just went through this with my kid who's a freshman now. I recommend taking screenshots of EVERYTHING during the FAFSA submission process. Our confirmation page never arrived by email even though the system said it sent it. Also, make sure your daughter lists all potential schools on the FAFSA when she first submits it - adding schools later triggers additional verification steps sometimes. And weirdest thing - after submitting, login to the studentaid.gov account every few days to check status. They don't always send notifications when there are problems or if they need more info. We almost missed a verification request because the email went to spam.

i withdrawn from classes last semester too and got hit with a bill.... its total bs how they dont explain this to u when u sign up for classes!!!! like how am i supposed to know all these rules??? the FAFSA system is so confusing and nobody explains anything until its too late

Something everyone is missing - make sure you check if your withdrawal has put you in SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) violation too. If you failed to complete 67% of your attempted credits, you might lose future aid eligibility on top of owing this money. Dealing with both issues at once is important.