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As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to have found this discussion! I was having the exact same issue and was starting to panic that I had somehow accessed an incomplete version of the FAFSA. Like many others here, I spent way too much time clicking through every section looking for that housing question. It's incredibly reassuring to know that both first-time filers and experienced users are finding the new interface confusing - definitely makes me feel better about struggling with it! I just went back and found all my housing selections under each school in the School Selection section. The explanations about how housing affects Cost of Attendance rather than SAI were really eye-opening too. Thank you to this amazing community for being so supportive and helping newcomers navigate these changes!
Welcome to the community, Liam! Your experience is so similar to what I went through as a newcomer - I was also convinced I had accessed some broken version of the application! It's honestly been such a relief reading through this entire thread and seeing that so many people, both newcomers and experienced filers, had the exact same confusion. I spent hours thinking I was missing something obvious, but it really is just poor interface design on the new FAFSA. The community here has been incredibly patient in helping all of us newcomers understand where everything moved to. The explanations about COA vs SAI have been particularly helpful - definitely not something I would have figured out on my own! Thanks for sharing your experience and adding to this supportive discussion.
As a newcomer to the FAFSA process, I'm so grateful I stumbled upon this thread! I was having the exact same panic about the missing housing question and spent hours thinking I had somehow broken the application or skipped a crucial section. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that the new FAFSA interface has genuinely confused a lot of people, not just those of us filling it out for the first time. I just went back and found all my housing selections under each school in the School Selection section. You're all absolutely right that it's easy to miss if you're not expecting it there! The detailed explanations about how housing selection affects Cost of Attendance calculations versus SAI have also been super educational. Thank you to this supportive community for helping newcomers like me navigate these interface changes - this discussion has been more helpful than any official guide I've found!
Welcome to the community, Debra! Your experience perfectly captures what so many of us newcomers have gone through with this redesign. I'm also new to the FAFSA process and had that same panic feeling when I couldn't find the housing question - I was convinced I had somehow missed an entire section or that my browser was malfunctioning! It's been such a relief reading through this thread and realizing that the confusion is widespread, affecting both first-time filers like us and people who've used the old FAFSA before. The community explanations about COA vs SAI have been incredibly helpful for understanding how the whole financial aid system works. I'm so glad you found your housing selections too! This thread has honestly become my go-to resource for navigating the new FAFSA - way more useful than trying to decode the official documentation on my own.
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I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! My daughter's deadline is next week and I've been locked out of my parent FSA ID for 5 days straight. I've tried every browser, cleared cookies, reset passwords multiple times - nothing works. The most frustrating part is that I can see my FSA ID exists when I try to create a new one, but it won't let me access it. I'm definitely going to try the 5am login suggestion and having my daughter re-send the parent invitation. Has anyone had luck with contacting their child's college directly? I'm starting to wonder if I should reach out to her financial aid office proactively to explain the situation before the deadline hits. This whole system overhaul has been an absolute disaster for parents!
I'm so sorry you're dealing with this too! Yes, definitely contact your daughter's college financial aid office right away - don't wait until after the deadline. Most schools are very understanding about these FAFSA technical issues this year since they're so widespread. When I called my son's college last week, they immediately offered a 2-week extension and said they could work with tax documents and a parent statement in the meantime. The financial aid counselor told me they've been getting calls about parent login issues daily. Also, try the early morning login (around 5-6am EST) - that seems to be when the system has the least traffic and glitches. The re-sending parent invitation trick is worth trying too. Don't lose hope - there are definitely workarounds even if the system is being horrible!
I'm dealing with this exact same issue! My daughter's FAFSA deadline is coming up fast and I've been locked out for almost a week. Reading through all these responses gives me some hope though. I'm definitely going to try the early morning login (5-6am) with Chrome browser and the "Forgot Username" option instead of password reset. The tip about making sure my daughter isn't logged in at the same time is something I hadn't considered - she's been checking her application status daily so that could be causing conflicts. I'm also going to have her re-send the parent invitation from her dashboard since that seems to have helped others. If all else fails, I'll contact her college's financial aid office for an extension. It's reassuring to know that schools are understanding about these technical issues since they're so widespread this year. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions - this thread has been more helpful than hours of trying to reach FSA support!
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Thank you all for the helpful responses! This clarified a lot. Just to summarize what I've learned: - Pell Grant eligibility follows my daughter to any participating school - The amount can change based on enrollment status (full-time vs part-time) - Verification could potentially change our eligibility if selected - Schools must award the Pell if we're eligible - they can't withhold it This is all really reassuring. I've been stressing about college costs so knowing that at least this piece is guaranteed helps a lot with our planning.
That's a perfect summary! And congratulations on qualifying for the Pell Grant - it's one of the best forms of financial aid since it's free money that doesn't need to be repaid. Make sure your daughter also applies for institutional scholarships at each school she's considering, as those can stack on top of her federal aid.
Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - make sure to check if your daughter's schools participate in the Year-Round Pell Grant program. This allows students to receive up to 150% of their scheduled Pell Grant award in a single award year if they're enrolled in additional coursework during summer terms. Not all schools participate, but if she's planning to take summer classes to graduate early or catch up on credits, this could be a significant benefit. You can usually find this information on the school's financial aid website or by calling their financial aid office directly.
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Welcome to the community! This is such a great question and honestly, the confusion is totally understandable. I went through the exact same thing with my son last year. Just to echo what others have said - the federal government sets your exact Pell Grant amount based on your SAI using published tables. Schools don't have any discretion in this decision. They're basically just the middleman who processes what the federal formula says you should get. One thing that really helped me understand it better was looking up the actual Pell Grant payment schedule on the Federal Student Aid website. You can see exactly what Pell amount corresponds to each SAI range. With your SAI of 2,300, you should be getting a decent amount! The "up to" language on FAFSA is definitely confusing - they really should just show the actual amount once they calculate your SAI. But at least now you know it's not some mysterious decision process at each school. Good luck with everything this year!
Thank you so much for the warm welcome and for sharing your experience! It's really reassuring to hear that other parents have gone through this same confusion. I'm definitely going to look up those Pell Grant payment schedules you mentioned - it sounds like that will help me understand exactly what to expect rather than just guessing from the "up to" amount. It's such a relief to know that with our SAI, we should actually qualify for a meaningful amount of aid this year. After getting zero help last year due to our mistakes, I was starting to think we'd never figure this system out. This community has been incredibly helpful in breaking down what felt like an impossible process!
As another newcomer here, I can't thank you all enough for this detailed breakdown! I'm in almost the exact same situation - our FAFSA shows "up to $7,395" for my daughter and I had no clue who actually determined the final amount. Reading through all these responses, it's so clear now that it's purely a federal calculation based on our SAI. I love that @Kennedy Morrison shared the specific details about the matrix system and the 6,656 cutoff - that kind of concrete information is exactly what I needed to understand how this really works. Our SAI came out to around 3,800 this year, so it sounds like we should definitely qualify for some Pell funding. After years of thinking we made too much money for any aid, it's incredible to finally understand that there's actually a sliding scale rather than just an all-or-nothing cutoff. Quick question for the group: when schools send out their financial aid packages, do they typically break down exactly how much is Pell vs. other types of aid? Or is it sometimes just lumped together as "federal grants"?
Welcome to the community! So glad this thread has been helpful for you too. To answer your question about aid packages - most schools will break down the different types of aid clearly on your award letter. You should see "Federal Pell Grant" listed as a separate line item with its specific dollar amount, not lumped in with other grants. This is actually really important because you'll want to distinguish between different types of aid - Pell Grants don't need to be repaid, while federal loans obviously do. Some schools also offer their own institutional grants, state grants, etc., and these will typically be listed separately as well. With your SAI of 3,800, you should definitely qualify for a solid Pell amount! It's such a relief when you finally understand that it's not some mysterious process, right? The sliding scale system makes so much more sense than the all-or-nothing approach many of us assumed it was.
Marina Hendrix
As a newcomer to this community, this thread has been absolutely incredible for understanding FAFSA calculations! I had no idea that assets are only assessed at a maximum of 5.64% while income can be assessed at rates up to 47%. This completely changes my understanding of how financial aid eligibility actually works. @Tate Jensen - huge congratulations to your daughter on that phenomenal $80K merit scholarship! That's truly an outstanding achievement. Following your questions about aid stacking has been so educational, and it's clear you're asking all the right questions about how merit awards interact with need-based aid. The practical advice shared here has been invaluable - from the optimal timing for calling financial aid offices (right at opening or during lunch hours) to the importance of documenting every conversation. I'm definitely going to implement that tracking spreadsheet suggestion to stay organized with different school policies and deadlines. What really stood out to me was the advice about framing discussions as "comparing offers" rather than "requesting more aid" - that's such a smart strategic approach that probably yields much better results. And learning about professional judgment reviews for special circumstances and state aid programs has opened my eyes to funding opportunities I never knew existed. This thread has provided me with such a comprehensive roadmap for approaching financial aid strategically when my own family goes through this process. Thank you to everyone who has generously shared their expertise and real-world experiences - this community is proving to be an absolutely invaluable resource! 🙏
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Liam O'Sullivan
As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! The detailed breakdown of FAFSA asset vs income weighting has been incredibly enlightening - I had completely misunderstood how the formula works. Learning that assets are only assessed at 5.64% maximum while income can be assessed up to 47% really changes everything for families like mine who have saved but have moderate incomes. @Tate Jensen - first, congratulations to your daughter on that amazing $80K merit scholarship! What an incredible achievement. Your questions about aid stacking have been so helpful to follow, and the advice everyone has shared about calling schools directly to ask about their specific policies seems absolutely crucial. I'm taking detailed notes on all the practical tips shared here - the timing suggestions for calling financial aid offices, the importance of creating tracking spreadsheets for different school policies, and especially that brilliant strategy of framing conversations as "comparing offers" rather than "requesting more aid." The information about professional judgment reviews and state aid programs has opened my eyes to opportunities I never knew existed. This thread has been like getting a masterclass in financial aid strategy from families who've actually been through the process. The collective wisdom here is so much more valuable than trying to piece together information from official websites alone. Thank you to everyone who has shared their real experiences - this community is truly an invaluable resource for navigating the complexities of college financing! 🙏
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