the whole system is BROKEN. i even wrote to my congressman and guess what?? NOTHING HAPPENED. good luck getting any real help from anyone in the system!!

To answer your follow-up question about correcting a FAFSA that's already submitted - yes, you can absolutely make corrections! Log into studentaid.gov, go to the FAFSA application section, and select "Make FAFSA Corrections." You can add your older daughter to your younger daughter's form this way. This is important to get right, as it directly affects how your SAI gets divided. Regarding the Statement of Non-Tax Filing - if you did file taxes, you don't need this form. It's only for people who weren't required to file. From your mortgage comment, I'm guessing you did file taxes, so you likely just need to submit your tax transcript instead. For the processing time on your younger daughter's application, unfortunately patience is required, but if it goes beyond 4-5 weeks, that's when you should start making calls to check on the status.

this is so confusing! so fafsa doesnt care about your savings at ALL now?? that seems crazy to me

Not entirely accurate. The FAFSA still considers certain assets, but they've raised the Asset Protection Allowance and simplified which assets are counted. For most middle-income families, bank accounts no longer factor in. However, larger investments, additional properties, and business assets are still considered if they exceed certain thresholds. The formula now places more emphasis on income than liquid assets for most applicants.

Remember that the free market will adjust to whatever changes happen. If federal loan forgiveness becomes more restricted, private companies will step in with alternative solutions. Competition will force colleges to lower prices if federal funding dries up. It's basic economics - less

This perspective ignores how the higher education market actually works. When state funding for public universities declined over the past 20 years, tuition didn't decrease - it increased dramatically to make up the difference. Private loans typically have higher interest rates and fewer protections than federal ones. The idea that market forces alone will solve accessibility issues in higher education isn't supported by historical evidence or current economic research.

Since time is critical, I'd recommend pursuing multiple solutions simultaneously:\n\n1. Follow up on getting the provisional/conditional aid letter from financial aid\n2. Prepare the alternative documentation (bank statements, affidavit of support)\n3. Contact the Spanish consulate to confirm exactly what alternatives they'll accept\n4. Have your son check his SAI status daily and call FSA if there's any change\n\nThe good news is that once your FAFSA does process, things move quickly. Our SAI finally came through about 10 days before my daughter's visa appointment, and her school produced the final aid package within 48 hours after that. It was stressful right up to the end, but it worked out.\n\nOne more tip: when your son goes to his appointment, have him bring documentation of the FAFSA delays (news articles, official notices) to show this is a nationwide issue affecting many students. Sometimes this context helps the consular officers understand it's not just poor planning on his part.

Thank you for the thorough plan of action! I'm definitely going to pursue all these paths at once. The idea of bringing news articles about the FAFSA delays is brilliant - I hadn't thought of documenting that this is a nationwide problem. I'm feeling more hopeful now that we have some concrete steps to take!

U ALL R OVERTHINKING THIS!!!! fafsa lets u make corrections whenever. not a big deal. ive changed mine like 3 times already lol

UPDATE: My application finally processed! It took 4 days. I was able to log in and submit the correction to my income information. The correction is now processing and the site says it should take another 3-5 days. I also emailed all my schools to let them know about the correction so they don't download the wrong information. Thanks everyone for your help!