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am i the only one whos parents refused to provide their info for fafsa?? my dad said its "invasive" and wont give me his tax info so now i cant even apply for financial aid. anyone know if u can do fafsa without parent info somehow??
This is actually a common situation. You have a few options: 1. Apply for a "Dependency Override" - but these are rare and only granted in extreme circumstances (abuse, abandonment, incarceration, etc.) 2. Complete the FAFSA without parent information - you'll only be eligible for unsubsidized loans, not grants or need-based aid 3. Talk to your school's financial aid office about professional judgment - they sometimes can adjust your aid if parents refuse to provide info I'd recommend scheduling an appointment with your financial aid office to discuss your specific situation.
Thank you all SO MUCH for all this advice! I think I understand the process now: 1. First, my mom and I both need to create FSA IDs 2. Gather all our financial documents 3. Set aside several hours when we're both available 4. Complete the form on studentaid.gov 5. Double-check all numbers match exactly with our tax forms 6. Submit well before my school's deadline (I'll verify what that actually is) I'm still nervous but feel way more prepared now. Will let you all know how it goes! 🙏
Perfect summary! One last tip: after you submit, log back in after 3-5 days to check your Student Aid Report (SAR). This shows all your entered information and your calculated SAI. Review it carefully for any errors. If your application is selected for verification (about 30% are), you'll see that notification here too. Good luck!
Yes, you should report ALL income, even if it was below the filing threshold. There's a difference between "didn't file because I wasn't required to" and "had zero income." If you made less than $400 in self-employment income, you weren't required to file a tax return, but you should still report that amount on your FAFSA. Be honest about the small amount of income from selling crafts. When you get your Verification of Non-filing Letter, you'll also want to provide a signed statement explaining your situation - that you were separated (though not legally divorced), lived separately from your spouse, had minimal income from selling crafts, and weren't required to file taxes. Transparency is always the best approach with financial aid.
this whole system makes me so angry!!! why do they make it so complicated?? its like they WANT to deny people financial aid by creating all these impossible hoops to jump through...
While I understand your frustration, the verification process is actually designed to ensure aid goes to those who truly need it. The good news is that the FAFSA has been simplified somewhat for the 2025-2026 application year, though specific situations like the one described here still require some extra steps.
This is EXCELLENT news! I'm so glad she was persistent and asked to speak with someone more senior. That often makes all the difference. The documentation she gathered sounds perfect - especially the therapist letter. Looking forward to hearing the final outcome!
not to get off topic but make sure ur checking if schools require css profile too! my cousin missed out on so much $$$ because he only did FAFSA and didnt realize his private college needed css profile too for their institutional aid!!
I'd like to add a few more points about that -1500 SAI: 1. Always look for the "gift aid ratio" - what percentage of your package is free money (grants/scholarships) versus loans/work. With your SAI, you should expect at least 80-85% gift aid at most institutions. 2. Private colleges using the CSS Profile can sometimes offer more to students with low assets but moderate income than to those with very low income but some assets, even with the same SAI. This is because they collect more detailed financial information. 3. Keep in mind that your SAI only accounts for your financial situation when you applied. If anything has changed (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), you can request a professional judgment review. 4. Some selective private colleges have policies to meet 100% of demonstrated need with no loans for families under certain income thresholds. With your SAI, these could be worth considering even if they seem expensive initially.
This is incredibly helpful. We've had some medical expenses since filing the FAFSA - is that something we could bring up during an appeal process? Also, how do we find out which private colleges have those 100% need-met policies?
Yes, absolutely bring up the medical expenses in an appeal! That's exactly the kind of circumstance that qualifies for professional judgment. Keep all documentation of those expenses. For colleges that meet 100% of need without loans, you can search for "no-loan financial aid policies" or "meets full need colleges." Some examples include Amherst, Bowdoin, Brown, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Swarthmore, and Yale, but there are several dozen others with strong aid policies. Many have income thresholds (like under $65K or $100K) where they guarantee no loans in the package.
Amina Sy
Just to provide a bit more insight - while this FAFSA rollout has been problematic, there are some benefits to the new system. The SAI calculation is more fair than the old EFC system for many families, especially those with multiple children in college. Many schools are developing contingency plans now. Some options I've seen: 1. Provisional enrollment with estimated aid packages based on prior year data 2. Extended payment deadlines with no late fees 3. Emergency institutional grants to bridge the gap 4. Tuition deferment plans requiring minimal upfront payment Don't give up hope for fall enrollment yet. Contact financial aid weekly to stay on their radar and check your FAFSA status daily. The situation is fluid and improving gradually as processors work through the backlog.
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Keisha Williams
•Thank you for the encouraging words. I'll definitely start checking in weekly with financial aid. It's reassuring to hear that schools are creating contingency plans - hopefully my son's university will implement something similar instead of pushing enrollment to January.
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Oliver Fischer
my nephew who works in IT says the whole FAFSA system was built on legacy code from like the 90s and they tried to update it all at once instead of in phases thats why its so broken. not helpful info but explains why its such a mess lol
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NebulaNomad
•EXACTLY! And they spent $121 MILLION on this "modernization" project according to a report I read. Our tax dollars at work, folks! They should have tested it thoroughly before forcing it on students whose futures depend on it working correctly.
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