Just a heads up - make sure you check the "Communication Center" section of your FAFSA account weekly. That's where they'll notify you if they need any verification documents. About 30% of FAFSA filers get selected for verification, and if you miss those notifications, your aid could be delayed. The most annoying part of the new FAFSA system is how they hide important information in different places. And congrats on the -$1500 SAI - that typically qualifies for maximum Pell Grant eligibility!

One more thing - now that your FAFSA is processed, you should start checking your actual college portals/accounts at each school. Many schools will post additional financial aid requirements there rather than through the FAFSA system. Some might require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA (mostly private colleges), and others might have institution-specific forms. Financial aid packages typically start coming out in March-April for the 2025-2026 year.

wat about her getting a part time job at school? my kid works 20 hrs a week in the cafeteria and gets like 7,000 a year plus free meals when shes working. might help close the gap?

After seeing your responses, I think you should definitely pursue multiple options simultaneously. Apply for both private loans AND the Parent PLUS loan right away. With your credit score around 680 and some recent late payments, you might face challenges with private lenders. If you get approved for both, you can always decline one. But if you're denied for private loans, you'll already have the PLUS loan process underway. Also, absolutely contact the financial aid office about payment plans and emergency funding options. One other suggestion - check if your state has any last-minute grant programs or if there are professional organizations related to your daughter's major that offer emergency scholarships. Sometimes there are niche funding sources that aren't widely advertised.

Just a thought - have you had your 2022 income reassessed using US tax rules? Sometimes foreign income that was taxable in your home country wouldn't be taxable here, or would be taxed differently. Might be worth consulting with a tax professional who specializes in international situations.

Update from my earlier comment: I just remembered that most schools have a specific form for reporting foreign income. It's usually called something like "Foreign Income Information Form" or "International Income Worksheet." Check the financial aid section of each college website - you'll likely need to fill this out in addition to the FAFSA.

My daughter had this exact problem!!! We finally fixed it by going to studentaid.gov/fsa-id/recovery and selecting "Forgot Username". When it asked for email, we tried EVERY email address she's EVER had (school, gmail, old accounts, etc) until one finally worked. The system is horrible.

After you get this sorted out, make SURE you check her SAI calculation when it comes through. My daughter had a similar login issue that took forever to fix, and when we finally submitted, her SAI was calculated incorrectly because of how late we submitted and some fields defaulted to incorrect values. We had to go through a whole separate correction process that nearly made her miss priority aid at her top school. Document EVERYTHING in case you need to appeal later.

Everyone here is giving you bad info. What's happening is that this year's FASFA is taking FOREVER to process because the whole system is broke. My son submitted his in JANUARY and we just got the SAI last week!!! The education department needs to fix their mess but meanwhile all students are suffering. It's not your fault, you probably did everything right, the system is just terrible.

UPDATE: Thank you all so much for your help! As @confused_parent suggested, I actually never completed the final submission step. I went back into my application and found I needed to confirm the review page and hit the final submit button. Now my status shows "FAFSA Correction Submitted" instead of "Started"! Now I just have to wait for processing, but at least it's in the system correctly. I'll also contact my school's financial aid office as suggested to let them know about the delay.