u might be able 2 get a dependency override if ur dad isnt involved in ur life. call ur financial aid office and ask

Thanks everyone for the advice! I called my school's financial aid office today and they said they'll extend my priority deadline by 2 weeks if I email them documentation showing I'm working on completing the FAFSA (screenshots of the contributor invites). And I'm going to try the video call with my dad this weekend to help him set up his account. Fingers crossed this all works out!

@originalpost To answer your question - yes, Claimyr was really simple to use. You just enter your phone number and they call you when an agent is available. And yes, the FSA agent was actually super helpful once I got through. She walked me through exactly what was included in my income calculation and identified the error right away. She also sent me an email confirming what documents I needed to submit for correction.

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their advice! I went to the financial aid office in person yesterday with all my documentation about the divorce and financial changes. They gave me a Special Circumstances form to fill out, and the counselor I spoke with was actually very helpful once I specifically mentioned "Professional Judgment review" (thank you for that terminology!). I also tried Claimyr to reach the Federal Student Aid office, and it worked! Got a call back in about 45 minutes and the agent confirmed there were no errors in our original submission but walked me through how the appeal process works with the school. Now we're waiting to hear back on the appeal. The financial aid officer said it typically takes 2-3 weeks for a decision. I've also started looking into state grants and scholarships specifically for children of divorced parents. Feeling less panicked now that we have a plan. Will update when we hear back about the appeal!

One more suggestion - have your son speak directly with his academic department. Many departments have scholarship funds that aren't widely advertised or automatically included in financial aid packages. These are especially common for students already demonstrating promise in their intended major. These departmental scholarships can range from $1,000-$5,000 per year and often have less competition than general university scholarships. A simple email to the department chair or undergraduate advisor can sometimes unlock these opportunities.

Whatever you do, AVOID private loans if possible. We took those for our oldest and the variable interest rates are killing us now. The Parent PLUS loans at least have fixed rates and income-based repayment options if things get tough. Private loans offer NONE of those protections. If you lose your job or have health issues, private lenders don't care.

One more important thing: if you do end up needing to use the remove/re-add method, do it in small batches (2 schools at a time) rather than all at once. This reduces the chance of transmission errors. And only do this during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm Eastern) when the FSA technical support team is available in case something goes wrong.

I'd wait at least 48 hours between batches and verify with the schools that they received the data before proceeding with the next batch. Also, keep detailed notes of which schools you've removed/re-added and when. This will be helpful if you need to escalate to FSA.

I work in a college financial aid office. Here's what you need to know: 1. Yes, apply ASAP. While Pell Grants don't run out, most schools have limited institutional aid budgets that ARE first-come, first-served. 2. The most valuable aid often comes from the schools themselves, not federal programs, and schools prioritize early FAFSA filers. 3. The new FAFSA is experiencing serious processing delays. What used to take 3-5 days is now taking 2-3 weeks for many students. This means if you wait until after Christmas, your FAFSA data might not reach schools until late January or February, which could be past some priority deadlines. 4. Each school sets its own priority deadline for financial aid consideration. Check the financial aid websites for each school your son is applying to. Some have deadlines as early as January 15th. Don't panic, but don't delay either. And pro tip: If your FAFSA gets selected for verification (random audit), respond immediately with all requested documents. Verification delays are the #1 reason students miss out on aid they qualify for.

@profile5 - For California specifically, here are some dates to keep in mind: 1. March 2: Cal Grant deadline (FIRM - no exceptions) 2. UC priority filing: Usually early March 3. CSU priority filing: Varies by campus (some as early as February 15) 4. California Community Colleges: Varies, but generally you want to file by March 2 And yes, your family's financial situation changing since 2023 is a big deal! You'll need to complete what's called a "Professional Judgment" or "Special Circumstances" appeal with each college after your FAFSA is processed. Each school handles these differently, but you'll need documentation showing the change in income. Start gathering things like layoff notices, unemployment benefits statements, or medical bills that caused the income reduction. You typically submit these appeals directly to each college's financial aid office, not through FAFSA.