One more important point: If you're going to appeal, do it IMMEDIATELY while requesting an extension on the enrollment deadline. Most schools will grant a short extension when there's a pending financial aid appeal. Be very clear with Bentley that you want to commit but cannot do so until the financial situation is resolved. Also, be prepared with a specific amount you CAN afford. Don't just say "we need more aid" - say something like "We can manage $25,000 per year through a combination of our savings and reasonable loans. Is there any way to bridge the gap between that and the current cost?

wait what about merit scholarships??? if ur son has 4.0 and AP classes he should qualify for TONS of merit money that has nothing to do with FAFSA! did he apply for those??

my son just did this last week!! he had to click around his dashboard for a while but eventually found where to sign. the button was kinda hidden in the tasks section. tell him to look for "FAFSA waiting for signature" or something like that

Just following up - were you able to get your son's signature completed? Remember that after he signs, there's one more step: the form is officially submitted only after signing. You should both receive a confirmation email with a confirmation number once that happens. This is an important detail many people miss.

UPDATE: Firefox worked!!! I finally got the e-signature page to load completely and was able to sign. For anyone else having this issue - try Firefox, disable pop-up blockers, and clear your cache first. Thanks everyone for the help!

Just wanted to share that I also got mine to work! I ended up having to call FSA directly (used that Claimyr service someone mentioned above to avoid the long hold) and they helped me troubleshoot. Turns out my account was partially locked because I had too many failed login attempts. They reset something on their end and then Firefox + clearing cache worked for me too!

Update: If you're still having this issue, there's an emergency workaround that was just implemented. Have your daughter call the FSA hotline at 1-800-433-3243 and request a "Contributor Access Code" for both parents. They can generate these codes that bypass the email system entirely. The student will need to provide: 1. Her FSA ID username 2. The full name of each parent/contributor 3. The emails that were originally entered Once she gets the access codes, she can send them to you directly and you can use them on the contributor portal without needing the email invitation. This is a temporary solution they've implemented because so many families are having this exact problem with the new system.

UPDATE: We got it fixed! After trying everything, what finally worked was having my daughter use her laptop instead of her phone to resend the invitations. For some reason, the mobile version wasn't properly triggering the emails. We both received the contributor invitations within minutes after she used her laptop. We've completed our portions and submitted everything before the deadline! For anyone else having this issue - try using a computer rather than a mobile device, and make sure your daughter logs completely out and back in before resending the invitations. Thanks to everyone who offered advice!

my cousin works in financial aid at a state university and she says this happens ALL THE TIME. dont stress too much, they see this mistake constantly and its usually not a big deal to fix!

Update: I successfully submitted the correction and added all our financial information! The confirmation page says it should be processed within 3-5 days, so fingers crossed. I also emailed the financial aid office at her top choice school to let them know about the correction. Thanks everyone for your help and advice - this community is amazing!