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my cousins kid got more money when they had 2 in college then when it was just 1. something about the family contribution being split between them. but idk if thats still how it works with all the fafsa changes lately
Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful advice! I'm definitely going to include both children on the FAFSA now. I had no idea that having multiple students could actually HELP with financial aid rather than hurt it. I feel much better about the whole situation. I'll make sure to update everything if my youngest decides not to attend college after all, but at least now I know I'm not risking my oldest's aid by including both. This community is amazing!
Glad you got the right info! The FAFSA system is SO CONFUSING and the instructions don't make this clear AT ALL. Make sure you keep records of everything and save confirmation emails - you'll need them if you have to make changes later!
UPDATE: I finally got this resolved! I used that Claimyr service to get through to an actual person at FSA yesterday. The agent was able to verify my identity using my SSN and date of birth, then manually changed my email address in their system. I had to wait about 24 hours, but I now have access to my FSA ID again! My son and I finished his FAFSA application last night. Just wanted to update in case anyone else runs into this problem. The key is getting to an actual human who can help with account recovery.
That's great news! For anyone else dealing with similar issues, here's a quick summary of options for FSA ID email recovery: 1. Try the standard recovery options on studentaid.gov first 2. Call the dedicated FSA ID technical support line (not the general FAFSA helpline) 3. Use a call connection service if you keep getting disconnected 4. Ask your student's school counselor for assistance 5. As a last resort, create a new FSA ID (but be prepared for potential verification issues) And remember that with the 2025-2026 FAFSA, parents can now create separate contributor accounts rather than using their original FSA ID. This new system is specifically designed to address situations like this, though it's still having some growing pains.
Thanks for summarizing the options! The agent also told me about the new contributor account option, but said for my situation it was better to recover my original FSA ID since I had previously received financial aid myself years ago. Apparently, that account history is important for the system.
wait so does processed mean they got the SAI score or just that they submitted it correctly? i thought the SAI is what tells you how much money youll get?
Good question! "Processed" means that the Federal Student Aid office has completed their review of the FAFSA application and calculated the SAI (Student Aid Index) score. The SAI score is what colleges use to determine financial aid eligibility, but it doesn't directly tell you how much aid you'll receive. Here's the sequence: 1. You submit the FAFSA 2. The application is processed and an SAI is calculated 3. This information is sent to the colleges you listed 4. Each college creates a financial aid package based on your SAI, their available funds, and their specific financial aid policies 5. Colleges send financial aid award letters showing what you'll actually receive So "processed" is a crucial step because it means your information is now available to colleges, but you'll still need to wait for each school to create their individual aid offers.
Update: I just heard back from the financial aid office at my son's college, and they confirmed they received his processed FAFSA yesterday! Apparently the chat agent was right and the emails were wrong. They said we should expect to see an aid package within 2-3 weeks. Thanks everyone for your help and advice! I'm still annoyed at how confusing the system is, but at least we know where we stand now.
That's great news! And yes, the communication issues with the FAFSA system this year have been particularly challenging. For anyone else reading this thread who's experiencing similar problems, always verify directly with your school's financial aid office - they have the most accurate information about what they've actually received.
btw if ur looking at community college as a backup DON'T FEEL BAD!!! my kid did 2 yrs at community then transferred and saved like $30k and got the SAME DEGREE in the end!!
That's reassuring. I'm definitely considering it as our backup plan if we can't get this resolved. The hardest part would be telling her she has to leave all the friends she's just made. 😞
Lourdes Fox
THE WHOLE FAFSA SYSTEM IS BROKEN THIS YEAR!!! Sorry for yelling but I'm so frustrated with all the problems. My daughter's application has been "processing" for 2 months, my son can't get verification completed, and now I'm hearing about this contributor invitation issue from multiple people. The Department of Education should be ashamed of themselves for rolling out such a buggy system when students' futures depend on this. Good luck getting through to anyone there - I've literally called 20+ times and given up.
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Nolan Carter
•I feel your frustration! This really shouldn't be so difficult. It's stressful enough getting twins ready for college without having to deal with technical glitches in such an important system. I hope they fix these issues soon, especially since so many schools have early priority deadlines for financial aid.
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Natalia Stone
Any update? Did you figure out which of the suggestions worked? I'm curious because my sister is having the same problem with her husband's account and twin boys too!
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Nolan Carter
•Yes! After trying everything, what finally worked was actually two things: 1) We discovered his email wasn't fully verified in his FSA ID account even though he could log in, and 2) We used that Claimyr service someone mentioned to get through to FSA, who confirmed there was a bug with multiple student invites coming close together. They manually added him as a contributor to both applications. Both twins' FAFSAs are finally complete! Tell your sister to check the email verification status first - that seems to be a common issue.
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