FAFSA
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FAFSA submitted in January but no SAI score yet - is anyone else still waiting?
So frustrated with this new FAFSA system... My daughter submitted her application on January 26th and got the confirmation email saying it was complete. It's now been almost 2 months and we STILL haven't received any SAI score or heard anything from financial aid offices. The studentaid.gov site just shows "processed" but nothing else. Is this normal with the new system? Is anyone else still waiting this long? Her college decision deadline is coming up in 3 weeks and we have NO idea what kind of aid she'll get. Starting to panic a little here!!
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FAFSA asking for my 2021 tax info when separated but not divorced - was unemployed and didn't file
I'm seriously confused about how to fill out the 2025-2026 FAFSA. They're asking for my 2021 tax return information, but I was in a weird situation back then. I was separated from my husband (not legally divorced yet) and completely unemployed that year, so I didn't file any tax return at all. My ex filed as Head of Household, and I honestly have no clue if he claimed me as a dependent or not. Can I just put '0' or 'didn't file' for all the tax questions that apply to me? Or does FAFSA want me to somehow include my ex's tax info since we weren't officially divorced? I don't even have access to his tax documents anymore, and we're definitely not on speaking terms. Has anyone dealt with something similar?
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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.
Thank you for clarifying! I'll definitely include the craft income and provide that explanation with my verification letter. I appreciate everyone's help - this has made the process much less intimidating.
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.
FAFSA Options Beyond Entrance and MPN Loans for First-Year Students?
I just got accepted to college (yay!) and i'm trying to figure out my financial options. I already completed the FAFSA and got my SAI score, but my aid package doesn't cover everything. I know about the Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized loans that need the entrance counseling and MPN, but are there any OTHER student loans specifically for first-year students that I'm missing? My parents can't help much and I'm worried about covering all my expenses. The financial aid office at my school is impossible to reach by phone! Anyone have experience with alternative loans for freshmen?
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has anyone tried those income share agreements?? my cousin did one where he doesn't pay anything now but gives like 3% of his income after graduation for 5 years. sounds better than loans tbh
Income Share Agreements (ISAs) are available at some schools, but I'd approach with caution. They may seem appealing since there's no interest, but if you end up with a high-paying job after graduation, you could pay back significantly more than with traditional loans. They also have less regulation and consumer protections than federal loans. They're typically only available for specific programs or schools, so you'd need to check if your institution offers them. I'd recommend exhausting federal loan options first, as they have income-driven repayment plans that can also cap payments based on what you earn, plus potential loan forgiveness programs.
oh i didnt think about paying more if i get a good job. thx for explaining!
Thank you all SO MUCH for the advice! I've made a plan based on everyone's suggestions: 1. Accept all my federal loans from FAFSA 2. Visit financial aid office in person next week to discuss: - Professional Judgment review (since my dad lost his job) - Emergency aid funds - Parent PLUS loan application (worth trying even with their credit issues) - Payment plan options 3. Look into state aid programs 4. Apply for more scholarships I'll update once I know more! This has been incredibly helpful.
FAFSA signature page glitch for non-US parent - stuck in infinite loading loop
My husband (who has no SSN and lives overseas) is stuck on the FAFSA electronic signature page and we're at our wits' end! The Department of Education flagged his section as having a 'system glitch' in the financial information. Even though he re-entered the EXACT SAME numbers, now he can't get past the signature page. He clicks 'Sign', the circle spins for a few seconds, then nothing happens - no error message, no progress. We've tried multiple browsers, different devices, clearing cache, disabling extensions - nothing works! Meanwhile, our kids keep getting automated emails saying 'Action Required: Missing Signature' even though my husband's section shows as 'Complete' in email notifications but 'Draft' in his Activity feed. The Federal Student Aid reps we finally reached just said 'submit a paper FAFSA' or 'start over completely.' Could his foreign address and lack of SSN be causing this weird signature loop? Has anyone else run into this or found a solution? Our kids' aid packages are on hold until we fix this!
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@CollegeCounselor4 is exactly right. As someone working in financial aid, I can confirm this is a system limitation they're still working on. The 30-minute system timeout is crucial - we've found that's the minimum time needed for the system to fully reset the session cookies.
We tried the date format suggestion but it didn't work. Going to try this timeout approach next. So grateful for all the expert advice here!
UPDATE: SUCCESS! We followed @CollegeCounselor4's exact instructions, waiting the full 30 minutes after clearing cookies before logging back in. Then my husband went directly to the signature page without reviewing anything else. It worked! The confirmation page finally appeared after clicking sign. THANK YOU all for your help - this forum literally saved us from weeks more frustration and potentially missing aid deadlines. For anyone else with non-US contributors getting stuck in the signature loop, the timeout period seems to be the critical factor.
So glad it worked! This is exactly why I share these workarounds - the official guidance isn't keeping up with the actual system issues. Congrats on getting it resolved!
FAFSA delay might push my son's college start to January 2025 - Anyone else being told to defer enrollment?
Just got off a devastating call with my son's university admissions office. They told us that because of all the FAFSA processing delays, there's a real possibility he might have to DEFER his enrollment until January 2025 instead of starting this fall! I'm completely shocked and heartbroken for him. After surviving his freshman year of high school during COVID (remote learning, no social interaction, the works), now his college career might be delayed because of this FAFSA disaster. Has anyone else been told this by their school? The admissions counselor said they still don't have SAI scores for over 40% of incoming freshmen, and they can't finalize aid packages without them. My son has already paid his housing deposit, registered for orientation, and picked his fall classes. This feels like such a cruel joke. I've submitted our FAFSA THREE times since December because their system kept glitching out. Who thought it was a good idea to completely overhaul the system during an application year? I swear this is worse than my home renovation project that's required ten separate trips to Home Depot and still isn't finished. Anyone have suggestions for getting our application prioritized? Or should we just accept that he might be starting in January? 馃槶
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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.
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.
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
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.
Dmitri Volkov
my daughtr applyed in decembrr and stil nothin. we try callin but never get thru. The whole thing is rigged if u ask me
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Esmeralda G贸mez
December? That's even worse than our situation. I heard they had to completely redo some of those earliest applications. Did you check if yours was part of that group that needed corrections?
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CaptainAwesome
UPDATE: Finally got through to FSA after using that Claimyr service someone mentioned! The agent confirmed our application is actually complete and the SAI has been calculated, but there's a delay in sending it to schools. She said we should see it in the portal within 5-7 days. I've also reached out to all three of my daughter's top schools and two have agreed to extend her decision deadline to June 1st if needed. The third school said they could provide a preliminary package by next week using last year's formula. Feeling much better now! Thanks everyone for the advice and support.
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Klaus Schmidt
Great update! This is exactly the right approach. The schools know this isn't your fault, and most are being very flexible this year. Glad to hear you're making progress!
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Yuki Tanaka
thanks for sharing! going to try reaching out to schools tomorrow
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