Just to clarify for everyone: The 2025-2026 FAFSA now includes the Student Aid Index (SAI) which replaced the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). When reporting parent income, retirement contributions and distributions have specific guidelines. Contributions to retirement accounts generally don't affect your SAI calculation, while qualified distributions used for education expenses are treated differently from other withdrawals. The specific rule the OP needs to focus on is that income from retirement accounts shouldn't be reported as additional income if it was already counted in the AGI on the tax return.

UPDATE: I was finally able to submit my correction today! The error message went away after 4 days. For anyone else dealing with this issue - just keep checking back every day. Now I'm just nervously waiting to see how much my SAI changes and if it will arrive in time for my school's aid packaging. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!

I've been helping families with FAFSA issues for years, and this new system has been particularly problematic. Here's what I recommend: 1. Completely log out of the studentaid.gov website 2. Clear your browser cache and cookies 3. Log back in with your FSA ID (parent) 4. Go to "I'm a Parent" section and verify your profile is complete 5. Then have your son log in with his FSA ID 6. Start a brand new FAFSA application (do not use the correction feature) 7. When you reach the "Parent Information" section, make sure your son properly transfers access to you The key is making sure both FSA IDs are properly linked in the system. The new FAFSA has a contributor model where the student must explicitly request parent contribution rather than just having parents fill out sections themselves. If this doesn't work, call Federal Student Aid directly - though be prepared for long wait times.

UPDATE: We finally got it working! It was a combination of issues. First, we needed to use Firefox instead of Chrome as someone suggested. Second, my son had accidentally clicked the "homeless or self-supporting" box which made the system think he was independent even though he answered dependent on other questions. Finally, I had to complete my FSA ID profile completely before starting his application. For anyone else facing this issue - check EVERY dependency status question carefully and try a different browser! Thank you all for your help - his SAI finally calculated correctly and we can see the entire aid package now. What a relief!

I went through something similar with my younger brother after our mom passed (dad wasn't in the picture). We spent HOURS trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid to get specialized help with his situation. The regular phone line was useless - always on hold for 2+ hours then disconnected. What finally worked was using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual FSA agent. They have a system that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. The agent we spoke with identified additional aid options specific to his orphan status that the school hadn't mentioned. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Once we got proper guidance from FSA, the school's financial aid office was able to process additional aid that covered almost all his expenses. Definitely worth trying.

One more important thing to check: has your niece completed the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA? Many private schools use this for institutional aid, and they often have special provisions for students without parents. Unlike FAFSA, CSS Profile schools sometimes have discretionary funds specifically for hardship cases. Also, for nursing specifically, check into the NURSE Corps Scholarship Program and the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program. Both are federal programs that can provide substantial funding in exchange for working in high-need areas after graduation. Lastly, some hospitals offer tuition reimbursement if she works for them part-time while in school. It might delay her graduation a bit, but could solve the funding issue.

Did your son try using a different browser? Sometimes the FAFSA website acts weird on certain browsers. My daughter couldn't access her section on Chrome but it worked fine on Firefox. Also make sure popup blockers are disabled!

UPDATE: We got it working! Turns out my daughter needed to create her own FSA ID first (exactly as suggested). Once she did that and logged in directly through studentaid.gov instead of the email link, she could see and edit her section of the FAFSA. Thanks everyone for your help! For anyone else reading this in the future - make sure BOTH parent and student create their own separate FSA IDs before trying to complete the FAFSA. The high school really should have made this clearer in their graduation requirements info.

has anyone had any luck just straight up asking schools to push back their deposit deadline?? i'm tempted to just email all 7 of my daughters schools and ask for a june 1 deadline instead

Update in case it helps others: We finally started making progress! The financial aid advisor at my son's top choice university told us they're actually processing packages by major right now. So if your student applied to a popular major (business, engineering, nursing), your package might come later than others. Once we understood this, we called and specifically asked if they could prioritize his application since we have the May 1 deadline, and they were actually pretty helpful!