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.

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!

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I'd recommend contacting Purdue's financial aid office directly. They often have preferred lender lists with organizations they've vetted, and sometimes there are university-specific loan programs or emergency funds that aren't widely advertised. Additionally, since you're an Indiana resident, see if your student qualifies for any state-specific programs through the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Also, be sure to complete the CSS Profile if Purdue uses it in addition to the FAFSA - it can sometimes unlock institutional aid that the FAFSA doesn't.

After trying FSA customer service for 5 days straight with no luck (kept getting disconnected), I used the Claimyr service someone recommended in another thread and got through in under 15 minutes! The agent confirmed the signature email was sent in error and fixed the SAI calculation issue while I was on the phone. Totally worth it when you're on a deadline! Check out their demo video if you're struggling to get through: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The FSA agent told me that about 30% of all 2024-25 FAFSAs are experiencing this SAI calculation issue. It's simply a glitch in their new system that requires manual review by an agent.

To answer your earlier question about what to tell your son's financial aid office: Just tell them he received an erroneous signature request email for 2023-24 despite aid already being disbursed, AND that his 2024-25 FAFSA shows as processed but has an SAI calculation error. Mention that you're working with FSA to resolve it. Most aid offices can place a temporary override in their system that will hold his classes and housing assignment while this gets resolved. They can also sometimes estimate his aid package based on last year's information if the SAI calculation delay continues. After an FSA agent fixes the SAI calculation issue, it typically takes 3-5 business days for the corrected SAI to appear on the StudentAid.gov dashboard, and then another 1-2 weeks for schools to receive and process the updated information. This is definitely one of the most common FAFSA issues this year due to the rollout of the new system.

One more thing to be aware of for 2025-2026 FAFSA: they're now using information from your 2023 tax return (called prior-prior year). So you don't need to wait until you file 2024 taxes - you'll be using information you already filed. Also, with the simplified FAFSA, fewer assets are counted against you compared to previous years. The new Student Aid Index calculation is a bit more generous for middle-income families in many cases.

You all have been SO helpful! I'm going to make sure we start college apps this fall, submit CSS Profile in October for any private schools, and then FAFSA immediately when it opens in December. I'll mark January 15th as an important deadline to watch for those merit scholarships too. I feel much better prepared now. This timing question was really stressing me out!