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Best loan options beyond Stafford for law school? Need private loans in student's name only
My son just got accepted to law school starting this fall (so proud!!). He's already completed his FAFSA application, but we're confused about how to cover the full cost. The financial aid office mentioned he qualifies for Stafford Loans, but said we can't actually apply for those until June. That leaves a HUGE gap between the aid package and the actual cost of attendance. Do most law students use private loans to cover the difference? He has some credit history from a car loan and credit card, but nothing substantial. We're determined that these loans be in his name only - we're approaching retirement and can't take on additional debt at this stage. Any advice from parents or law students who've navigated this successfully? His school's estimated cost of attendance is $76,000/year and the federal loans only cover about $27,500. That's a massive shortfall and we're getting nervous as deposits are due next month.
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FAFSA processed but no SAI calculation yet - single parent worried about Pell Grant eligibility
I submitted my FAFSA in late January and for months it just said 'processing' with a message that my SAI couldn't be calculated. Now it shows as 'processed' but there's still no SAI number anywhere! I'm completely lost on what this means. Shouldn't my SAI be visible once processing is complete? Does this mean they're still working on it or did I miss something? I'm a single mom with two kids and our income is well below the poverty line ($19,800/year). I was counting on qualifying for the full Pell Grant to start community college this fall. My status doesn't show any required corrections, but without an SAI number, I have no idea if I'll get aid or how much. Has anyone else had this happen? Do I need to call someone? My college financial aid deadline is in 3 weeks and I'm panicking!
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just wanted to say hang in there!! the financial aid system is SO hard to navigate especially for single parents. i was in your exact situation 2 years ago and eventually got it sorted out. you WILL get your pell grant!! sending positive vibes your way!
Thank you! That means a lot right now. It's so stressful trying to go back to school while supporting kids on your own. I'm glad to hear you got through it successfully!
UPDATE: I just got off the phone with my community college's financial aid office and they were amazing! They could see my full FAFSA information on their end, including my SAI (which is 0)! The advisor said this means I qualify for the maximum Pell Grant amount. She explained that there's a known issue with the studentaid.gov website not displaying SAI values for some applicants, but the schools can still see it and process aid packages. She said I don't need to do anything else and they'll be sending my official aid package in about 2 weeks. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions! Such a relief to know this was just a display issue and not something wrong with my application.
That's GREAT news! So glad you got it sorted out! I'm going to call my school tomorrow too. Thanks for updating us!
FAFSA signature page keeps freezing - anyone else can't submit?
Hi everyone! New to this forum but desperate for help. I've been trying to complete my FAFSA for the 2025-2026 year for TWO WEEKS now and keep getting stuck at the signature page. The system just freezes every time I try to click the 'sign & submit' button. I've tried different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, even Edge!), cleared my cache, restarted my computer... nothing works. The page either hangs forever with the spinning circle or crashes completely. Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a workaround? I'm getting really worried about missing deadlines for my school's financial aid packages. Any advice would be super appreciated!
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just wondering did you guys receive your SAI scores yet after submitting? my friend got hers in 3 days but im still waiting after 2 weeks...
This is a bit off-topic from the signature page issue, but processing times for SAI calculations vary widely right now. The Department of Education stated that most applicants should receive their SAI within 3-5 business days, but due to the new FAFSA changes, some are taking 2-3 weeks. If it's been more than 3 weeks, I would definitely contact FSA directly.
UPDATE: It worked!! I followed the advice about trying early morning (set my alarm for 5:30am 😴) and the signature page loaded perfectly with no freezing. Submitted successfully and got my confirmation email! Thank you all so much for your help - especially the tip about trying during off-peak hours. Now fingers crossed I get my SAI calculation quickly!
So glad it worked for you! The early morning trick seems to be the most reliable solution this year. Hope your SAI comes through quickly!
Congratulations! For anyone else reading this thread with the same issue, the early morning approach has about an 80% success rate based on what I've seen. The FAFSA system undergoes maintenance between 2-4am ET on Sundays, so Monday mornings are often the most reliable time to try submitting.
Is -1500 SAI score good for FAFSA? First-time applicant confused
Just got our SAI score back and it says -1500. Is that good? We've never applied for FAFSA before so I have absolutely no idea what this means or what kind of financial aid we might get. My daughter is applying to 5 schools for fall 2025 and we're trying to figure out if we'll need to take out massive loans or not. Does anyone know what a negative SAI score like -1500 actually means for aid packages? Thanks!
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THE FINANCIAL AID SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! Even with a so-called "good" SAI score, they STILL make middle-class families take out MASSIVE LOANS!!! My nephew had -1200 SAI and is still drowning in debt!!! The whole system is designed to trap students in debt!!
That's discouraging to hear. Did your nephew apply to a mix of schools? I'm wondering if certain types of colleges might offer better aid packages than others.
He only applied to expensive private schools and ONE state university (which was still $$$$). Should have checked community college options first!!! These schools promise "financial aid" but half of it is LOANS they expect you to pay back WITH INTEREST!!! Read the fine print on EVERYTHING!!!
Just to provide some balance here - while a negative SAI doesn't guarantee a free education, it does put your daughter in the strongest possible position for financial aid. Many selective private colleges actually provide better aid packages than state schools for low-income families. I'd recommend: 1. Apply to a mix of schools, including some known for generous aid 2. Use each school's specific net price calculator 3. Appeal your financial aid offers if they don't seem adequate 4. Consider schools with "no-loan" policies for lower-income students With your SAI, your daughter has excellent potential for significant grant aid at many institutions.
Thank you for the balanced perspective. Do you have any recommendations for how to find out which schools have "no-loan" policies? That sounds like something we should definitely look into.
Absolutely! Search for "no-loan colleges" or "colleges that meet 100% of demonstrated need" online. Schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Amherst, and several others have policies to meet full need without loans for families below certain income thresholds. Some cover all students, while others focus on families below specific income levels (often $65,000-$100,000). The College Board website also has a filter for schools that meet high percentages of demonstrated need.
Negative SAI of -1500 on daughter's FAFSA - what does this actually mean for aid?
I'm so confused right now. My daughter just got her FAFSA processed after weeks of waiting and there were some corrections made by the system. Her SAI came back as NEGATIVE -$1500. I've never seen a negative SAI before and have no idea what this means for her financial aid package. Is this good? Bad? Does it mean we'll have to pay more or that she'll get more aid? The studentaid.gov website doesn't really explain what a negative number means and I can't find a straight answer anywhere. Anyone dealt with this before or know what a negative SAI actually translates to when colleges start putting together aid packages?
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just wanted to add that my twins both had negative SAIs too and some schools treated them differently!! one private school gave AMAZING aid but another calculated something different. so definately check with each school. also CONGRATS!!! the new FAFSA was a nightmare for us but worth it when we saw that negative number lol
Ella Thompson
Current law student here again - just to clarify something important: There are NO Stafford Loans anymore for graduate students. The program was renamed years ago. What he qualifies for is: 1. Direct Unsubsidized Loans (up to $20,500/year) 2. Grad PLUS Loans (up to the remaining cost of attendance) Both become available to apply for once the school processes his FAFSA and generates a financial aid package. Some schools do this earlier than others, but typically you can complete the process by early summer. The reason for the June timeline is probably related to the award year cycle. For environmental law specifically, look into the school's clinic options and summer funding for environmental internships. My school has specific grants for students working in that field.
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JacksonHarris
To address your original question about it being "in his name only" - ALL graduate student federal loans are in the student's name only. Parents are not co-signers or responsible parties for Direct Unsubsidized or Grad PLUS loans. The only parent loan option is Parent PLUS, but that's for undergrads only. This is different from private loans, which often require co-signers for students with limited credit history. The federal route should give you exactly what you're looking for - full responsibility on your son without impacting your retirement plans.
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Charlotte White
AuthorThat's perfect! I was concerned we might need to co-sign something, which we really can't do at this point in our financial lives. This forum has been incredibly helpful - I feel like we have a much clearer direction now than after talking with the financial aid office.
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