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I herd Biden canceled all student loans but the supreme court said no. so unfair!!! my friend said they might try again with a different approach but nobody knows when
The Biden administration attempted a broad $10,000-$20,000 forgiveness program that was indeed struck down by the Supreme Court. However, they've been successful with targeted relief through existing programs. Over $137 billion in student loan debt has been forgiven through PSLF improvements, borrower defense claims, school closure discharges, and disability discharges. They're also implementing new programs like SAVE that provide much better terms than previous options.
One more thing to consider - interest rates on federal student loans are fixed for the life of the loan. If you took out loans several years ago when rates were higher, and you now have good income (but not good enough to pay them off quickly), refinancing with a private lender might give you a lower rate. HOWEVER, this is generally not recommended because you permanently lose all federal benefits (forgiveness options, income-driven plans, hardship deferments, etc.). Based on your situation, I'd strongly recommend staying in the federal system and getting on the SAVE plan. Your credit score will recover as you continue making on-time payments and as the loan age increases.
Thanks for this advice. I was actually considering refinancing with SoFi because they sent me an offer, but I didn't realize I'd lose all those federal protections. I'll definitely stay federal and apply for SAVE tonight. Really appreciate everyone's help here - feeling less panicked now that I have a plan.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
my sons fafsa got accepted without my wifes ssn too!!! she doesn't have one, shes not a citizen. they still gave him a good aid package 🙌 depends on ur situation tho
This is actually an important distinction. If OP's wife doesn't have an SSN because she's not a citizen or eligible non-citizen, that's a different situation than having an SSN but failing to include it. In your case, you correctly completed the application because you can't provide information that doesn't exist. In OP's case, it sounds like they need to submit a correction since their wife does have an SSN.
Paolo Conti
One final tip - when you fill out the FAFSA, make sure you list ALL schools your daughter is applying to. You can add up to 20 schools on the application, and all of them will receive her financial aid information. This lets you compare aid packages from different schools before making a final decision.\n\nAlso, don't be afraid to contact financial aid offices directly after you receive offers. If your circumstances change or if another school offers better aid, some institutions will match or improve their offers. They won't tell you this openly, but it's worth asking!
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Keisha Williams
That's super helpful advice! I had no idea you could negotiate with financial aid offices. And the tip about listing all schools will save me from having to figure that out the hard way. Thanks so much!
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