Also don't forget that the CSS Profile (which some private colleges require) is WAY more complicated for undocumented families than FAFSA... if any of your students are applying to private schools make sure you warn them about this extra form!!!

One practical solution that worked well at my previous school: We created a one-page reference sheet that listed exactly what documents parents should bring to FAFSA workshops (tax returns, W-2s, bank statements, etc.) along with FAQs about immigration status concerns. We translated it into multiple languages and sent it home 2 weeks before our workshops. This significantly increased both attendance and successful completion rates. Happy to share a template if that would help.

I'm having a similar issue but with Parent PLUS loans. My parents applied for me (I'm an undergrad) and the old FAFSA used to show how much they could borrow through Parent PLUS. Now there's nothing until the school processes everything. Does anyone know if there's a way to estimate what they'll be approved for? My parents need to know for budgeting since they're helping with my college costs.

UPDATE: I got my SAI score email today (took 5 days) and logged back into studentaid.gov. Still no specific loan amount mentioned, but I called my graduate financial aid office and they confirmed I'm still eligible for the full $29,500. They said the FAFSA change was intentional to emphasize grants over loans, but eligibility calculations haven't changed. So for anyone else confused by this - don't panic! Your loan eligibility is still there, they just don't show it prominently anymore. Thanks everyone for the help!

DOUBLE CHECK with your school's financial aid office! Each school has their own policies on how outside scholarships impact your aid package. Some schools will reduce loans first (good), others reduce grants first (bad). My daughter's school had a "displacement policy" that basically penalized her for getting outside scholarships by reducing institutional grants dollar-for-dollar. Total scam!

To summarize the correct information: 1. Scholarship money used for room & board is counted as the STUDENT'S income on the FAFSA, not the parents' income 2. The no-asset test (175% of poverty level) only looks at PARENT income, not student income 3. Student income is assessed separately through the Student Aid Index formula, where they get the income protection allowance (~$9,410) 4. Since this is for the 2024-25 academic year, this scholarship income would affect your 2026-27 FAFSA, not your 2025-26 FAFSA So you can focus on managing your own income/401k contributions without worrying about how your daughter's scholarship might push you over the asset reporting threshold - it won't.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice! I've checked my dashboard more carefully and found the specific issues I need to address (parent marital status inconsistency and some tax info that doesn't match their records). I'm definitely NOT going to submit a paper form now after hearing all your experiences. Going to upload the correct documents tonight and hopefully that resolves everything. Fingers crossed!

That's great you found the specific issues! One quick tip - when you upload corrected documents, take screenshots of the confirmation pages. I've had situations where documents seemingly disappeared from the system, and having proof of submission saved me a ton of headache. Good luck with your aid!

I'm still waiting for my SAI score after submission. Been 2 weeks already. How long did yours take to show up? The waiting is driving me CRAZY.

THE NEW FAFSA IS LITERAL TORTURE. I had to submit FOUR TIMES because it kept giving me errors about my parent's W-2 information not matching IRS records or something?? Even though we put in EXACTLY what was on the tax forms. The whole system is designed to make us fail I swear.