You might also want to check if your daughter qualifies for independent status due to the death of a parent. I'm not 100% sure about the rules, but I think if one parent is deceased and the student isn't living with or receiving financial support from the other parent, they might qualify as independent. That would completely change the SAI calculation.

Thank you all for the helpful advice! I've started reaching out to the financial aid offices at each school. One has already responded and sent me their Special Circumstances form, which specifically has a section for "Death of spouse" and "Loss of employment." Feeling a bit more hopeful now. I'll keep you updated on how it goes!

Glad it worked out! Make sure you check your student email like every day from now on. They'll send important follow-up stuff there and if you miss those deadlines you could still lose out on aid!

It's great your school extended their deadline! This is an unusual year due to the FAFSA simplification issues. For anyone else reading this thread who might be in a similar situation, here's what you need to know for 2024-2025: 1. The federal deadline is still June 30, 2025 2. Many (but not all) schools have extended priority deadlines 3. State deadlines vary widely - check studentaid.gov for your state 4. Submit all verification documents immediately if requested 5. Monitor your student email and portal daily for requests Even with extended deadlines, earlier submission is always better for maximum aid consideration.

my cousin had this problem and it turned out his application was actually incomplete even though he thought he was done! the FAFSA website is THE WORST. make sure you've actually completed everything before freaking out about the signature.

Hey did you get this resolved? I had a similar issue and realized I needed to complete the "Agreements" section first before I could sign and submit. Just checking if you were able to submit your application!

you should look into if he qualifies for a dependency override maybe? my brother got one when my mom couldnt help with his college anymore and he got way more financial aid

Update for anyone who finds this later: We had success! After meeting with Yale financial aid (and yes, they had a separate summer aid form due in March that we just barely made), they're covering about 60% of the summer costs through a combination of loans and a small grant. For the remaining amount, we're using the consortium agreement idea to have him take one class at our local community college that will transfer back. Thank you all SO MUCH for your help - we're looking at about $3,800 out of pocket instead of $9,000+. Still not cheap but manageable with a payment plan.

Just want to follow up on the divorce situation since that seems to be a major sticking point: the FAFSA's definition of "contributor" is very specific and often confuses people. The actual rule is: - If parents are divorced/separated, you report information ONLY for the parent you lived with more during the past 12 months - If you lived with both equally, then you report the parent who provided more financial support - Child support and alimony ARE counted as income for the parent who receives it - If your custodial parent is remarried, your step-parent's information MUST be included The most common mistake is including information from both biological parents when divorced, which causes verification flags. The system is designed to only collect data from the household you actually live in, not both parents.

whatever you do DONT miss the priority deadline for your schools!!! my son did last year and lost out on like $4000 in institutional grants even though his fafsa eventually went through. some schools are super strict about those dates!!