I went through this exact situation with my daughter two years ago! My husband has an associate's in IT and I have a certificate in dental hygiene. We had to mark "college or beyond" on the FAFSA, but she still qualified for several first-gen scholarships at her university and through private organizations that define it as "no bachelor's degree." One thing I learned - don't just look at the big national scholarships. Check with your son's high school counselor about local community foundation scholarships too. Many of these smaller, local scholarships are more flexible with their first-gen definitions and have way less competition. My daughter ended up getting three local scholarships totaling $8,000 that all considered her first-gen even though we had to mark otherwise on FAFSA. Also, when he applies to colleges, have him mention in his essays or applications that he'll be the first in your family to pursue a four-year degree. Admissions officers understand the distinction and it can still be a compelling part of his story even if the technical FAFSA definition doesn't classify him as first-gen.

As someone new to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly enlightening! My wife has an associate's degree in early childhood education and I completed a certificate program in HVAC, so we're facing this exact same dilemma with our son who's a high school senior. What's really helpful is seeing how many people have successfully navigated this situation. I'm particularly encouraged by the stories of students who still received significant scholarship money even after having to mark "college or beyond" on their FAFSA forms. I'm definitely going to start that spreadsheet approach that everyone keeps mentioning - it seems like the key is really understanding that each program has its own definition rather than assuming they all follow the same criteria. One thing I'm wondering about is whether there are any resources or websites that specifically compile scholarships using the "no bachelor's degree" definition of first-generation? It would be amazing if there was a centralized place to find these opportunities rather than having to research each one individually. Has anyone come across anything like that in their search process? Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences here - this thread has been more helpful than hours of trying to figure this out on my own!

Financial aid counselor here - yes, you absolutely should check the box for Medicaid if your student has NY Child Health Plus. Here's why: 1. Child Health Plus is part of CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) 2. CHIP is considered a "means-tested federal benefit program" for FAFSA purposes 3. Checking yes could qualify you for the Simplified Needs Test or Auto-Zero EFC/SAI 4. These FAFSA simplifications can significantly improve your aid package Many families incorrectly answer this question because the connection between Child Health Plus and Medicaid isn't obvious. The 2025-2026 FAFSA has made some improvements to the wording, but it's still catching people off guard.

Just wanted to add my experience for other NY families - I made this exact mistake two years ago and answered "no" for my son's Child Health Plus coverage. When I contacted our college's financial aid office about a discrepancy, they explained that CHP absolutely counts as Medicaid for FAFSA purposes. We had to submit a correction, but it actually increased his aid package by about $1,200 because we qualified for the simplified needs test. Don't make the same mistake I did - definitely check "yes" if your child has Child Health Plus!

Hey everyone! I just joined this community after stumbling upon this thread while desperately searching for help with my own FAFSA login nightmare. I've been locked out of my account since Monday and my verification deadline is coming up fast - seeing all your experiences and solutions has honestly been such a relief! I'm dealing with the exact same issue where I can reset my password successfully (getting all the confirmation emails), but then when I try to log in with the new credentials, it just keeps saying "invalid username/password." It's like the system is playing some cruel joke on us students who are already stressed enough about financial aid! I'm about to try the mobile app + incognito + forgot username combination that seems to be the winning formula based on everyone's success stories here. If that doesn't work, I'll definitely check out the Claimyr service for faster FSA phone support - those 3+ hour wait times sound absolutely brutal when you're racing against deadlines. Thank you all for sharing your solutions and creating this supportive space. It's incredible how much more helpful this thread has been compared to the official FAFSA troubleshooting pages! I'll make sure to update with my results in case it helps the next stressed student who finds their way here. We're all in this together! 💪

Just wanted to jump in as another newcomer who found this thread while dealing with the exact same FAFSA login nightmare! I've been locked out since yesterday and was starting to panic, but reading through everyone's experiences and solutions has been incredibly reassuring. I'm experiencing that same frustrating loop where I can reset my password successfully and get all the confirmation emails, but then the site just refuses to accept the new credentials. It's mind-boggling that such a critical system for student financial aid can be this unreliable! I'm about to try the mobile app + incognito + forgot username combination that's worked for so many people here. The fact that there's an actual mobile app was news to me - you'd think they'd advertise that more prominently given how problematic the website clearly is! If that doesn't work, I'll definitely look into the Claimyr service for getting through to FSA support faster. The thought of waiting 3+ hours on hold when I'm already stressed about verification deadlines is honestly terrifying. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and helpful discussion. This thread has been more useful than anything I found on the official FAFSA help pages. I'll make sure to update with my results to hopefully help the next student who finds themselves in this same boat. It's comforting to know we're all navigating this broken system together! 🙏

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to this community and just created my account after finding this incredibly helpful thread. I'm currently dealing with the exact same disclosure statement delay - accepted my federal loans 2.5 weeks ago and absolutely nothing has arrived. My tuition deadline is coming up in just 8 days and I was starting to have a complete meltdown thinking I had somehow messed up my entire financial aid process. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a huge relief to realize this is a widespread systemic issue with the SAI implementation rather than something I did wrong. The fact that so many students are dealing with these same delays and system glitches is both comforting and infuriating at the same time. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service that @Camila Castillo and others have recommended since it sounds like it's been a game-changer for actually getting through to FSA agents. When I call, I'll make sure to ask specifically about SAI recalculation flags and verification holds since that seems to be the root cause of most of these delays. It's honestly ridiculous that we all have to become federal system troubleshooting experts just to access our own financial aid, but I'm so grateful this community exists to help each other navigate this mess. Thank you all for sharing your stories and solutions - it gives me hope that there's actually a way to get this resolved before my deadline!

Hi everyone! I'm completely new to this community and just joined after stumbling across this thread while frantically searching for help with my own disclosure statement delays. I accepted my federal loans about 10 days ago and haven't received anything yet, with my first tuition payment due in just under 2 weeks. Reading through all of your experiences has been incredibly eye-opening - I had no idea these SAI recalculation issues were affecting so many students this year! I was starting to panic thinking I had done something wrong with my application, but now I understand this is a widespread systemic problem with the FAFSA simplification rollout. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service that @Camila Castillo and others have mentioned since the regular FSA phone lines sound absolutely impossible to get through. When I do manage to reach an agent, I'll make sure to ask specifically about any SAI flags or verification holds on my account. It's really frustrating that we all have to become federal system troubleshooting experts just to access our own financial aid, but I'm so grateful this community exists to help each other navigate these issues. Thank you all for sharing your stories and solutions - it gives me hope that there's actually a path forward through this mess!

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I was able to log in (it was the new Student Portal for me) and see where to change the school code. I'll wait until he decides which SUNY to attend before making the final change. It's still confusing why they can't just send the info to all schools like FAFSA does, but at least I understand the process now!

Just wanted to add one more tip that helped us - if you're having trouble finding the TAP codes for each SUNY school, they're actually different from the FAFSA school codes! You can find them on each school's financial aid website, or there's a searchable list on the NY State Student Portal. We made the mistake of trying to use FAFSA codes at first and couldn't figure out why it wasn't working. Also, keep screenshots of your TAP award letter because some schools asked us to upload it separately to their financial aid portals even after we changed the school code in the system.