happened 2 my nephew also. no email from fafsa but $$$ showed up at the school. weird system but it works i guess lol. congrats on the pell grant btw!!!

To answer your follow-up question - no, if the aid is already showing in her college portal, not having the SAR email shouldn't cause problems with receiving the aid. The school has clearly received all the necessary FAFSA information. However, it's still good practice to locate your SAR and check your SAI score. This helps you understand exactly why you qualified for the aid package you received. It's also useful documentation to have if you need to appeal for additional aid or if there are any questions later in the academic year.

One more tip about the parent FSA ID process: choose a memorable username that you'll remember year after year. Many parents forget their FSA ID details between annual applications, which causes massive headaches. I recommend storing your FSA ID username (not password) in a secure note on your phone or computer so you can easily access it next year.

to the person who asked about divorced parents - yes both parents need seperate FSA IDs if both are contributing. my ex and i both had to make accounts for our daughters application and we each got separate emails from her. its actually better this way because neither of us can see the others financial info

One other important tip: make sure your student completes the FAFSA as soon as possible! Since her situation requires special handling and potentially manual review, it's better to get it submitted early. This gives financial aid offices more time to process her independent status before making aid decisions. Also, she should definitely complete the CSS Profile if applying to private colleges, as they'll want additional documentation about her situation. The CSS Profile has specific sections for unusual circumstances like this.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm meeting with my student tomorrow and now feel much better prepared. To summarize what I'm hearing: 1. She qualifies as an independent student since both her adoptive parents (grandparents) are deceased 2. She'll need death certificates and potentially adoption documentation 3. She should write a special circumstances letter explaining her situation 4. We should contact each college's financial aid office directly after FAFSA submission 5. She should complete both FAFSA and CSS Profile (for private schools) ASAP I'll also make sure she's prepared for the possibility of different verification requirements at different schools. Really appreciate all your expertise!

Everyone saying you have to wait is wrong. You need to IMMEDIATELY contact the school you're trying to add to your FAFSA. Explain the situation and provide them with your FAFSA ID. Most schools have a process for this exact situation - they can access your FAFSA information even if you haven't officially added them to your list. For the scholarship deadline, get documentation that you've initiated this process - emails between you and the financial aid office, screenshots of your current FAFSA status, etc. Submit this documentation to the scholarship committee explaining the situation. DON'T just wait for processing - be proactive!

UPDATE: You all have been so helpful! I spoke with the financial aid office at the school we need to add, and they said they can indeed access our FAFSA information with our FAFSA ID number - they just needed my daughter's permission. The scholarship committee also granted us a 5-day extension after I explained the situation and provided documentation of our efforts. I also tried the Claimyr service that someone recommended to get through to FSA, and I actually got to speak with someone who confirmed our FAFSA should be processed within 48 hours. Thank you all so much for helping us navigate this stressful situation! I'll update again once everything is finalized.

Another thing I learned from my experience - keep ALL documentation related to your custody and living situation in a folder (physical or digital). When my triplets applied, I needed: - Copy of divorce decree - Copy of custody agreement showing physical placement - School records showing my address - Utility bills showing household size - Letter explaining our tax arrangement Better to have it and not need it than scramble at the last minute! The worst part of FAFSA is the verification process when they question things, especially with divorced parents.

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! So to summarize what I've learned: 1. Count both twins in my household size for FAFSA even though I only claim one on taxes 2. My ex's income won't be considered since the twins live with me full-time 3. Child support I receive will count as untaxed income 4. I should start gathering documentation now in case of verification 5. FAFSA is primarily concerned with actual living arrangements, not tax filing status This has been so helpful in understanding how to approach this when the time comes. I'm glad I started learning about this early!