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Just to clarify something important - the professional judgment process doesn't actually change your FAFSA or your official SAI number. What happens is: 1. Your FAFSA submission with 2022 data creates your official SAI 2. Schools receive this SAI as your official one 3. When you request professional judgment, schools individually recalculate what your SAI would be with updated information 4. They then adjust your financial aid package at THEIR institution based on this recalculated SAI Your official SAI on studentaid.gov will never change, which confuses many people. Each school effectively creates their own internal modified SAI for you.
One more thing - start the professional judgment process as soon as possible after submitting your FAFSA. Many schools allocate their institutional funds (grants, scholarships) early in the cycle. If you wait until close to enrollment time, they may have already committed most of their discretionary aid funds, leaving mainly loans as options for you. Timing really matters!
anybody notice how the FAFSA is SUPPOSEDLY easier now but somehow gives LESS aid than before?? my nephew got $3400 LESS this year with the "simplified" fafsa and their financial situation is EXACTLY THE SAME!!
The new FAFSA formula (now using SAI instead of EFC) does calculate family contribution differently. Some middle-income families are seeing less aid, while others are seeing more. It depends on your specific financial details like number of dependents in college, types of income and assets, etc. Your nephew should definitely appeal if there was such a significant change without corresponding changes in financial circumstances.
Update: I want to thank everyone for their advice. I called both financial aid offices this morning and learned that my twins ARE eligible for additional unsubsidized loans because of our Parent PLUS denial. That will cover about $8,000 of our gap. I've also scheduled appointments to discuss institutional payment plans and possible additional grants based on our medical bill situation. My sister has agreed to look into being an endorser for a smaller Parent PLUS loan to cover the remaining amount. I'm still stressed but feeling like we have a path forward now.
jst wnt 2 say the whole FAFSA process is SO BAD this year omg. took my family like 3 weeks to finally submit. hang in there
UPDATE: Finally got it working! After trying the account recovery process again and getting nowhere, I used the Claimyr service that someone suggested above. Got connected to an actual FSA agent in about 15 minutes! They confirmed my identity and found that my account had been automatically locked due to "suspicious activity" (which was just me trying to log in multiple times). They manually unlocked it and helped me reset everything properly. Was able to complete my portion of my son's FAFSA last night. What a nightmare this has been, but thank you all for your help and suggestions!
Great to hear you got it resolved! Just as an FYI for anyone else reading this thread: make sure your son confirms the application was actually SUBMITTED, not just saved. We're seeing a lot of students who think they've completed the process but their application is still sitting in draft status.
Abigail Patel
Just to add - I've been tracking this issue closely, and currently about 60% of colleges have announced extended decision deadlines. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) has been collecting this information. Most extensions are to May 15, but some schools are going as late as June 1st. If your colleges haven't announced extensions yet, they probably will soon given how widespread the FAFSA issues have been. This is literally the most delayed FAFSA processing cycle in history.
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Danielle Campbell
•AND YET THE DEPT OF EDUCATION KEEPS PRETENDING EVERYTHING IS FINE!!! Their press releases make it sound like minor inconveniences when the entire system is fundamentally broken. My nephew works in a college financial aid office and says it's absolute chaos behind the scenes.
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Daniel White
Just got updated info from another FSA agent today - they're now saying all FAFSA data should be transmitted to colleges by March 22nd, and schools are being asked to prioritize processing aid packages for incoming freshmen first. Most schools are telling families to expect packages by mid-April. If you haven't heard about your specific colleges extending their decision deadlines, call their admissions offices directly - many are making these decisions on a rolling basis.
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