ooh also i just remembered the worst part - make sure u dont count ur retirement savings in the assests - thats a HUGE mistake alot of ppl make. they only care about cash, regular investment accounts, and real estate thats NOT your primary home

One more important clarification: when listing current investments, remember this includes: - Real estate (except the home you live in) - Trust funds - UGMA/UTMA accounts - 529 college savings plans - Money market funds - Mutual funds - Certificates of deposit - Stocks and bonds But does NOT include: - Retirement plans (401k, pension funds, annuities, IRAs) - Life insurance - Your primary residence The SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation hits non-retirement investments much harder than cash savings, so accurate reporting is critical.

this is why the whole system is so frustrating!! why cant everything just be connected automatically??? common app should just tell fafsa when you add schools. so dumb.

I was in your shoes last year! Added the school on FAFSA in February and everything worked out fine. One tip: after making the correction, wait 3 days then call the financial aid office at the new school to confirm they received it. Don't just assume the system worked. Better to be proactive!

I work in a financial aid office, and here's some insider perspective: FSA actually did implement some system changes after last year's disastrous rollout. They added more customer service reps and improved some of the training. However, they're still understaffed for the volume they handle, especially during peak periods. The best times to call are typically Tuesday-Thursday, either early morning (8-9am) or later afternoon (4-5pm). Avoid Mondays and Fridays at all costs - wait times are often double. Also, if you're calling about a technical issue rather than a policy question, specifically request a technical specialist when prompted about your issue.

i dont think its better...just random luck. waited 3 hrs yesterday and gave up. my school deadline is next week and still cant get my sai score to show up correctly. system says "calculation in progress" for 2 weeks now. does anyone know if schools will accept pending fafsa or do they need the complete processed version??

is anyone else getting different SAI numbers every time they check?? my first one was like $7820 but now its showing $8946??? like which one is it?? so confused

Update: I finally got through to someone at FSA! The agent confirmed my application IS submitted correctly and said the emails were sent due to a system glitch. Apparently this is happening to lots of people. She said to ignore the emails as long as my studentaid.gov account shows "processing" or "completed" status. Such a relief! My SAI finally appeared today too ($4,235). Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

One thing no one mentioned yet - with PLUS loans, even though they're in your name, your daughter can take over payments after graduation if she wants to help out. They remain legally your responsibility, but many families have arrangements where the student makes the payments. Just make sure you're on the same page about expectations.

Based on all the information you've shared - stable income but modest emergency fund, 5-7 year repayment timeline, and good but not exceptional credit - I would recommend a hybrid approach: 1. Start with a smaller private loan (perhaps $5,000-8,000) at the best fixed rate you can secure with your husband as the primary applicant (using his 780 score). 2. Use PLUS loans for the remaining $10,000-13,000 to ensure you have federal protections for the majority of your debt. This gives you the best of both worlds - some interest savings from the private portion while maintaining federal safeguards for most of the obligation. It also lets you compare both systems firsthand before making decisions about future years of funding.