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If you don't pass the credit check for a PLUS loan, you have two options: 1. Get an endorser (similar to a co-signer) 2. Appeal by documenting extenuating circumstances for credit issues If those don't work, there's actually a benefit: your daughter would become eligible for additional unsubsidized direct loans (up to $4,000-$5,000 more per year) since you were denied the PLUS loan. And yes, regarding the loan fee - if you need $10,000 for costs, you'd request about $10,440 to cover the fee that's deducted.
That's really helpful information! I didn't realize she could get additional unsubsidized loans if I'm denied. That might actually be better in some ways since the debt would be in her name rather than mine. Do you know if the interest rates on those additional unsubsidized loans would be lower than the PLUS loan rate?
yeah the parent plus loan intrest rate is way higher then the regular student loans. my daughters direct loans are like 5% something and my plus loans are over 8%. wish i knew that before :
btw has anyone gotten their SAI score yet? mine seems super high compared to the old EFC from last year...
UPDATE: I finally got this resolved! I used Claimyr to reach an FSA agent (thanks for that suggestion), and they confirmed my corrected FAFSA was fully processed. They gave me a case number and told me which transaction number the school should be looking for (#03 in my case). I called my school's financial aid office, gave them this info, and they were able to manually pull my corrected FAFSA within a few hours. They said lots of students are having this issue. For anyone else dealing with this - don't wait for the systems to fix themselves, be proactive and contact both FSA and your school directly!
So glad you got it resolved! Thanks for coming back to update us. This is really helpful information for others who might run into the same problem.
I swear the Department of Education is run by CLOWNS. How do you launch a completely redesigned FAFSA system in JANUARY without basic correction functionality until MARCH?! Students are losing scholarships and housing placements because of these delays! My daughter might have to live off-campus now because on-campus housing priority required financial aid verification by March 1st. Completely UNACCEPTABLE!
thats terrible! call housing office and explain
Most university housing offices are making accommodations for these FAFSA delays. Have your daughter contact housing directly and explain the situation - many are extending priority housing deadlines specifically because of the nationwide FAFSA issues.
UPDATE: I just talked to my daughter's financial aid office and they've been amazing! They're fully aware of the correction delay and are extending their deadline to May 1st. They also said they can process her application with the incorrect SSN for now and update it once we make the correction. Just sharing in case anyone else is in a similar situation - definitely contact your school directly!
Based on your responses to everyone's suggestions, this does sound like a system error that will require FSA intervention to fix. When you do connect with them, make sure to have the following ready: 1. Your FSA ID login information 2. Your son's FSA ID (but not his password) 3. The exact date/time he sent the invitations 4. Confirmation that your husband successfully completed his portion The agent will likely need to manually link your account to your son's FAFSA application. They might also need to send a special invitation link directly to you. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this detailed checklist! I'm going to try calling them tomorrow with all this information ready.
UPDATE: Problem solved! I used the Claimyr service that @profile5 recommended to get through to FSA without the long wait. The agent found that there was a system glitch where my FSA ID wasn't properly linking to the invitation even though my email was correct. They had to manually link my account to my son's application. Now I can see and complete my portion! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.
awesome! glad u got it fixed!
Liam O'Sullivan
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.
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Ethan Campbell
•Mine took almost 10 days! I was checking the studentaid.gov portal like 5 times a day 😂 But once I got the SAI, everything else moved pretty quickly. Hang in there!
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Andre Dupont
•The processing time for SAI calculation has been averaging 7-14 days for the 2025-2026 FAFSA cycle, though it can extend to 3+ weeks during peak submission periods (December-February). If you're approaching the 3-week mark without receiving your SAI, I'd recommend contacting Federal Student Aid directly. Processing delays can sometimes indicate there's an issue with your application that needs attention.
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ThunderBolt7
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.
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Yuki Watanabe
•The direct data exchange with the IRS (which is part of the FAFSA Simplification Act changes) has definitely caused confusion. The most common reason for these mismatches is entering information manually that doesn't precisely match the IRS records - even small differences in employer names or slight variations in numbers can trigger these errors. Using the direct transfer tool whenever possible helps avoid these issues. If you've already tried that and still encounter problems, it might be worth requesting your tax transcript directly from the IRS to see exactly what's in their system.
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