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My neice just went thru this!!! Have your granddaughter apply for nursing-specific scholarships RIGHT NOW. Her scool prolly has some but also check Johnson & johnson, Tylenol, AfFLAC, they ALL have nursing scholarshps. Also check with local hospitals somtimes they pay tuition if she agrees to work there after gradution!
I want to add one more important consideration: sometimes the financial aid packages at the more expensive school actually work out better in the long run, especially for specialized programs like nursing. Community colleges are excellent for many students, but direct-admit nursing programs often have better clinical placements, NCLEX pass rates, and job placement services. I'd recommend asking the financial aid office about these specific questions: 1. Are there second-year scholarships available once she's in the nursing program? 2. What's the NCLEX pass rate compared to alternative programs? 3. Do they have dedicated nursing scholarships not included in the initial package? 4. Can they provide statistics on job placement rates and starting salaries for their nursing graduates? Make your decision based on the full picture - sometimes the program with the higher upfront cost provides better long-term value, especially in healthcare fields.
These are excellent questions I wouldn't have thought to ask! I'll add them to my list for our financial aid appointment next week. You're right that we need to consider the quality of the program too, not just the cost. Her dream is to eventually become a nurse practitioner, so the foundation matters.
If you're struggling to get through the FSA phone line, seriously try Claimyr.com - it saved me days of frustration. They connect you with an agent without you having to wait on hold. Their video demo (https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ) shows exactly how it works. With all these FAFSA delays, getting actual answers from a live agent made a huge difference for us.
when i did my fafsa they just asked for my adjusted gross income from my taxes, not all the schedule c stuff separately? maybe its different for different people idk
You're right that the FAFSA asks for AGI from your tax return, but the system also looks at other forms like Schedule C for business owners. Your AGI already includes your net business income/loss, but they may request additional information about business assets over certain thresholds. The simplified FAFSA has made this less complicated, but self-employed people often still need to provide more details.
I wanted to update everyone - we got our 2023 tax transcript directly from the IRS website and were able to complete our daughter's FAFSA yesterday! We didn't need to wait for our accountant at all. The process was much easier than I expected once we had the right information. Thank you all for your help and advice!
That's great news! Make sure to save a PDF copy of your submitted FAFSA in case there are any verification requests later. Some schools will ask for additional documentation, especially for self-employed parents. Having everything saved in one place makes that process much smoother.
Just to add some perspective from someone who works in college admissions - this is an especially complicated year for FAFSA processing. The rollout of the new FAFSA Simplification Act means everything is taking longer. Even after your application shows as processed, there are additional steps happening behind the scenes before schools can fully access your data. Most institutions are running 3-4 weeks behind their normal financial aid timelines. This doesn't help your immediate situation, but hopefully provides some context for why this is happening. If your daughter received early acceptance, definitely contact that school's financial aid office directly - they may be able to prioritize her aid package.
UPDATE: Just wanted to share what happened in case it helps anyone else. I downloaded our SAR as suggested and found our SAI score. Then I called each school's financial aid office directly. Two of them already had our information and said aid packages would be sent out mid-January. One hadn't received our FAFSA data yet and suggested we check if there were any issues with our application. I logged back into studentaid.gov and realized that school's code had a typo! Fixed it and resubmitted that portion. The other three schools said they're processing in order received and we should expect packages by late January. So definitely be proactive and contact schools directly!
Amina Diallo
something else nobody mentioned if your twins are going to different schools make sure you put both schools on BOTH of their fafsas! my friend didnt do this and it messed up her kids sai scores!!
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Paolo Longo
•Oh! They're planning to apply to some of the same schools but also some different ones. So I should list ALL schools on BOTH applications? That makes sense but I wouldn't have thought of it!
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Oliver Schulz
That's actually not correct information. Each student should only list the schools they're applying to on their own FAFSA. The FAFSA calculates the Student Aid Index (SAI) based on family information, not which schools are listed. The schools listed simply determine who receives the FAFSA data. However, what IS important is that you complete both FAFSAs consistently with the exact same parent information. Any discrepancies between the two applications could trigger verification. Many parents find it easiest to complete both applications in the same sitting to ensure consistency. For twins applying to college simultaneously, also look into: 1. Twin-specific scholarships (yes, they exist!) 2. Sibling discounts at private universities 3. CSS Profile if applying to private schools (this form does consider multiple children more favorably than FAFSA) Most importantly, contact the financial aid offices directly at your top choice schools and inform them of your twin situation. Some schools have discretionary funds they can use in these cases.
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Emma Wilson
•This is great advice. When we had twins in college, we found that some schools (especially private ones) offered special consideration. Our twins ended up at different schools, but both financial aid offices were helpful once they understood our situation. Definitely make those phone calls!
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