Just a quick update on what others have said - your negative SAI of -1500 is a strong indicator of need, which can work in your favor when requesting additional institutional aid. Make sure to mention this specific number when communicating with schools.\n\nAlso, while you're contacting each financial aid office, ask if they have any

Thank you so much for this specific advice! I had no idea that having a negative SAI could potentially help me get loans converted to grants. That would be amazing if possible. I'll definitely highlight the -1500 SAI in all my communications.

Based on everything shared, here's what I recommend: 1. DON'T start over - multiple applications will likely cause verification flags 2. Try the technical support email specifically for signature issues: FAFSA.TechSupport@ed.gov 3. If you need more immediate help, consider using the call service someone mentioned or try calling during off-hours (early morning or late night) 4. Document everything - take screenshots of error messages and note dates/times of your attempts 5. If all else fails, contact your daughter's college financial aid office - even at small schools, they often have direct contacts at FSA they can reach The parent signature issue is a known glitch in the system this year. Starting over won't fix it since it's likely tied to your FSA ID in their database.

Quick update for anyone following this thread - the signature issues are being addressed in the next system update according to the FSA Twitter account. They posted yesterday that they're doing maintenance this weekend specifically to fix parent signature problems. Might be worth waiting until Monday to try again if other methods don't work.

Update on my situation: I finally got through the college selection page by adding schools one by one with a 2-minute wait between each selection. Painfully slow but it worked. The SAI calculation is working now too. Hope this helps!

UPDATE: We finally got through the college selection page! Combination of using the mobile app AND doing it at 6am this morning. Now we're on to the parent contribution section. Thanks everyone for your help and commiseration. For anyone else stuck on this - try early morning hours and the mobile app!

Update for everyone following this thread: The Department of Education just released guidance to financial aid offices about handling these SAI increases. Schools are being encouraged to use professional judgment to adjust aid packages for students whose SAIs increased solely due to the formula correction. Key points when contacting your schools: 1. Specifically mention the "SAI inflation adjustment recalculation" 2. Emphasize that your financial circumstances haven't changed 3. Ask if they're implementing the new guidance for professional judgment adjustments 4. Provide documentation of both your original and new SAI Most schools will be sympathetic to this situation since it wasn't your error.

My niece had this exact problem and found out it was because of how they calculated my sister's retirement contributions after the adjustment. Something about the threshold for protected retirement assets changing. Might be worth looking into if you have any retirement contributions listed on your FAFSA.

I faced a similar issue with my own FAFSA after my parents kicked me out. One thing that really helped was having my high school principal write a detailed letter explaining that my parents had not financially supported me for over a year. I also included utility bills showing I was covering my own living expenses (with help from my aunt). The financial aid counselor told me that having OFFICIAL letterhead on all the documentation made a big difference. My dependency override was approved after initially being rejected because I resubmitted everything on official letterhead.

my niece had almost the same situation!!!! the thing that worked for her was getting the guidance counselor AND principal to sign statements. she also got a letter from our church pastor! they approved her override and she got a full Pell Grant!