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Parent PLUS loans are only available if you're a dependent student, and the OP mentioned they're an independent student without the option for parents to cosign. Also, as the name suggests, PLUS loans are taken out by the parent, not the student - they're in the parent's name and are the parent's legal responsibility to repay.
UPDATE: I just wanted to thank everyone for the amazing advice! I followed the suggestions here and: 1. Called my financial aid office and discovered I could access an additional $5,000 in federal Direct Unsubsidized loans I didn't know about 2. Found a $2,000 scholarship through my engineering department that still had open applications 3. Used Claimyr to reach someone at FSA who helped explain why my SAI was calculated incorrectly - turns out there was a reporting error on my FAFSA that they're helping me fix Between these three things, I should be able to cover almost the entire gap without private loans! I might need a small one for the remaining $1,750, but that's WAY better than the $8,750 I was looking at before. This forum is seriously a lifesaver. Thank you all!
The CSS Profile is different from the FAFSA - it's administered by the College Board rather than the federal government. It typically opens on October 1st regardless of when the FAFSA opens, and it's generally more detailed about your financial situation. You'll need to pay a fee for the first school and a smaller fee for each additional school, though fee waivers are available for eligible families. Since it asks for more detailed financial information, I'd suggest allowing at least 45-60 minutes to complete it.
For those concerned about deadlines, I recommend three steps: 1. Email your school's financial aid office with your FAFSA confirmation number and submission date 2. Take screenshots of your FAFSA submission confirmation page 3. Check the school's financial aid website or call them directly about adjusted deadlines Most institutions understand the unprecedented delays this year and are being flexible. However, you should still document everything and be proactive in communicating with your school. The Department of Education has also advised schools to be accommodating with their priority deadlines for the 2025-2026 cycle specifically because of these processing delays.
Has anyone actually gotten through on FSA's phone line lately???? I've tried 6 DIFFERENT TIMES this week alone and I can't get a human!!!! Either the call disconnects or the automated system tells me the wait is over 2 hours. This is absolutely RIDICULOUS!!!
I was in the same boat until I used Claimyr. The regular FAFSA phone line is completely overwhelmed right now. When I finally got through, the agent said they're getting 3x their normal call volume with the new FAFSA rollout.
just tried the claimyr thing and got through in 15 mins!! the agent said my application had been selected for verification which is why it was taking so long. at least now i know what's happening. thx for the recommendation
i would just wait a few days and see what happens. the fafsa system is always doing weird stuff. last year my brother's application randomly showed as "deleted" for like 48 hours then went back to normal with no explanation. the whole system is held together with duct tape and prayers lol
This is terrible advice. You should NEVER just "wait and see" with FAFSA issues, especially with deadlines approaching. Each day you wait could potentially push back your aid package or even affect your eligibility. Always address these issues immediately with your school's financial aid office or the Federal Student Aid office.
UPDATE: Mystery solved! I called my school's financial aid office this morning. Turns out they made a correction to the housing section of my FAFSA. I had marked "on campus" but I'm actually going to be living off-campus this fall. They said this might slightly affect my cost of attendance calculation but shouldn't impact my SAI or eligibility. Thanks everyone for your help!
Great to hear! And this is exactly why contacting your school first is almost always the best approach. Most FAFSA corrections are initiated by schools working to ensure your aid package is accurate.
Isabella Santos
wait tho can't u just call each school directly and give them ur fafsa confirmation number? i thought that works too
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Malik Johnson
•Unfortunately, that's not how the FAFSA system works. Schools can only access your FAFSA information if you specifically list them on your FAFSA application. The confirmation number is just for your records - it doesn't grant schools access to your data. The only way to share your FAFSA with additional schools is to add them to your FAFSA through the studentaid.gov website as others have described.
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Natasha Volkov
Thank you everyone for the amazing advice! I've started rotating schools in batches of 10 after removing the original set (except for his top choices). I'm keeping a detailed spreadsheet with dates of when each school was added and plan to follow up with financial aid offices to confirm receipt. I've also discovered that 4 of the schools actually don't require the FAFSA at all (they use CSS Profile exclusively), so that reduced my list a bit. For the remaining schools, I'll probably try that Claimyr service mentioned earlier if I run into any issues confirming everything went through properly. This process is so much more complicated than I expected, but I feel much better equipped now. Thank you all again!
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