our financial aid finally came yesterday!!! literally called my daughter at school crying because one package was SO MUCH BETTER than we expected. don't give up hope! they explained that they're prioritizing packages for students who listed their school as first choice on fafsa. did you guys put the schools in preference order when you submitted? that might be affecting which ones come first.

As we navigate these unprecedented FAFSA delays, here's what financial aid administrators are saying behind the scenes: 1. Most schools are processing aid packages as quickly as they receive SAI data from the Department of Education 2. Many institutions are creating contingency plans for students who commit without aid information, including extended decision windows and modified refund policies 3. Some schools are offering preliminary aid estimates based on previous year formulas (though these could change) 4. Almost all schools understand this is not the fault of students and families If your student absolutely must decide by June 1st without aid information, ask the financial aid office these specific questions: • "If I commit now and later find your aid package insufficient, what specific policies do you have for releasing me from my commitment?" • "Will I receive a full deposit refund if I need to change my decision based on aid that arrives after the deadline?" • "Can you provide a timeline in writing for when I can expect my aid package?" Get these answers in writing (email) whenever possible.

Update: Got my full aid package today! Even with fixing my dumb mistake, I still got processed faster than last year. My SAI is about $3,500 lower than last year too (which is good!), probably because my husband had some unpaid leave. Just posting to give everyone hope that the 2025-2026 FAFSA really IS working better than before!

I'm actually having a similar issue but with my date of birth. The system keeps rejecting it saying there's a mismatch with SSA records, but I'm 100% certain I'm entering my correct birthdate. Has anyone dealt with this specific error? I've tried calling but can't get through to anyone.

just got my SAI today!! submitted Jan 13th so you should be next!

UPDATE: Just spoke to someone at FSA (finally!) who confirmed they ARE processing in order of submission date. They said applications from mid-January are being processed this week. She also mentioned that verification requests are causing additional delays for some applications, so if yours gets selected for verification, it might take longer.

let him live on campus its SO WORTH IT!!!! my kid tried commuting from home for first semester to save $ and it was awful, he missed out on making friends and felt disconnected. when he moved to dorms second semester his whole college experience improved! your only a few minutes away which is perfect - close enough if he needs something but far enough for independence lol

To directly answer your questions: 1. Regarding the SAI of -1235: This qualifies your son for significant federal aid, likely including the full Pell Grant (currently $7,395 for 2025-2026). A negative SAI indicates high financial need. 2. For the New Century Skills scholarship: You need to verify two things: - Whether your state's program allows funds to be used for non-tuition expenses - Whether the community college has any policies about "scholarship stacking" 3. For using financial aid for housing: Federal aid (including Pell Grants) can absolutely be used for any component of the official cost of attendance, including housing. Since his tuition is covered by the band scholarship, his Pell Grant can go directly to housing, books, etc. One important note: Make sure your son completes the housing application ASAP. Many community colleges have limited on-campus housing that fills quickly. Don't wait for the financial aid package to be finalized before securing his spot in the dorms.

my roomate had both types of loans and said the biggest benefit was when she lost her job after graduation, she could put her federal loan on hold but had to keep paying the private one even tho she had no income. thats why i took all the federal loans i could get even tho some of my private options had slightly better rates

One final point to consider: if your daughter takes the federal loan first and then the private loan for the remainder, she'll end up with approximately 25% of her debt having federal protections. That's significantly better than 0%. Even this partial protection could be valuable in the future, especially since we can't predict economic conditions or personal circumstances years down the road.