my husbands info never got confirmed AT ALL last yr and we had to submit like special documentation thru the school financial aid office. total nightmare!! btw they sent us a paper form to fill out cuz his ssn wasnt matching for some reason. check ur email filters maybe they already sent u something?

One more thing to check - make sure you confirmed your email in the new StudentAid.gov system. I had a similar delay and realized I never clicked the verification link they sent when I created my new FSA ID. Once I did that, my SSA confirmation processed within 48 hours. My husband and daughter had already verified their emails which is why theirs went through first.

my brother has 4 kids in college at the same time can u imagin filling out FAFSA four seperate times with the exact same info?? that should be illegal lol

For those dealing with multiple FAFSA applications right now, I recommend maintaining a detailed spreadsheet with all your answers from the first application. Note exactly how you formatted names, addresses, and financial information so you can be consistent across applications. This helps avoid discrepancies that might trigger verification. Also, complete all applications within a short timeframe if possible. The consistency helps ensure your children receive comparable consideration for aid based on your family's financial situation.

Has your daughter also completed the CSS Profile? Some public universities use it in addition to FAFSA to award their institutional aid. If State University uses CSS Profile and she hasn't completed it yet, she should do that immediately as it could unlock additional institutional aid options.

In response to your question about how your daughter should phrase her request when calling: She should say something like: "Hello, my name is [name] and I'm an incoming student for Fall 2025. I recently received my SAI score from my FAFSA, and it's -1500. I've already received an initial financial aid package, but I'm calling to see if my negative SAI qualifies me for any additional institutional aid or if my package can be recalculated based on this new information." Be sure she has her student ID number ready, along with her FAFSA confirmation number. If she gets nervous on calls, she might want to write down these key points before calling. Also, timing is crucial right now. April-May is when many financial aid offices finalize packages for incoming students, so the sooner she reaches out, the better chance she has of accessing any available funds.

To follow up on my earlier comment - one important thing to understand is that many private scholarships have a limited pool of funds and must make difficult decisions about allocation. While your SAI gap of $12,700 demonstrates official financial need, they might be comparing your application to students with much larger gaps ($30K+) and limited or no family savings. This doesn't mean your son doesn't deserve consideration, but it helps explain their perspective. They're trying to help students who might not attend college without their support. If you do include a letter explaining your savings, focus on specific obligations (supporting your mother, upcoming necessary home repairs, etc.) rather than just saying it's an "emergency fund.

btw did anyone mention that some scholarships look at CSS Profile not just FAFSA? css counts assets WAY differently and is way more strict about savings

I just went through this exact situation! Here's how I navigated it: 1. The "don't take action" email is automatically generated when your loan is in transition to a new servicer for the Fresh Start program 2. The Fresh Start notice is the one you should follow - it's a legitimate program created specifically to address situations like yours 3. I had a similar balance explosion ($19K to $67K over 6 years of default) 4. After enrolling in Fresh Start, they removed about $15K in collection fees 5. I then applied for an income-driven repayment plan (specifically SAVE) and my payments are now $43/month based on my income 6. My loans will be forgiven after 20-25 years of qualifying payments The key is documenting everything and following up persistently. The system is frustrating but Fresh Start is actually one of the more borrower-friendly programs they've created.

To answer your follow-up question - yes, for the income-driven repayment plan I had to provide my most recent tax return. If your income has changed significantly since then, you can submit pay stubs instead. The SAVE plan is particularly generous for lower incomes. They also didn't count my spouse's income because we file taxes separately.