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btw if ur only getting sub/unsub loans why not just do a private loan? way less hassle and probably better rates if u have decent credit
I've thought about it, but federal loans have so many more protections - income-driven repayment, forbearance options, potential forgiveness programs. Private loans don't offer any of that flexibility.
Special circumstances are the WORST!!! My parents lost their business in 2023 and I had to do a special circumstances request. Took FOREVER and the school kept asking for more and more documents every few weeks. Make sure you call your financial aid office regularly - the squeaky wheel gets the grease! I swear they processed mine faster just to stop me from calling them lol
Great update! I'm glad you took the initiative to contact them before submitting. Getting those forms and specific instructions will make the process much smoother. Just remember that if you do get stuck in the online FAFSA application (which happens often in these special situations), don't hesitate to call their helpline for assistance.
I think people are overthinking this. My daughter applied for fafsa last yr and we're a military family too. She just listed me (mom) as parent even though my husband is the service member. We got all the military benefits and she got a great financial aid package. As long as you check the military box and list his service correctly you should be fine.
UPDATE: I spoke with my daughter's college financial aid office, and they confirmed that either parent can be the contributor! I'm going ahead with completing the application as-is. Thanks everyone for your help and advice - especially about marking my husband's military status correctly. So relieved we don't have to start over from scratch!
One more thing to consider - look at WHEN each twin's financial aid package was finalized. Schools have limited loan funds, and sometimes it's first-come-first-served. If Twin A's school processed their FAFSA earlier than Twin B's school, that could be a factor. Also, make sure to check if Twin B can still request loans directly. Many schools allow students to request loans up to their full eligibility even if they weren't initially included in the aid package. Just go to Twin B's financial aid office and ask about submitting a loan request form.
Update on what you find out! I work in higher ed (not financial aid specifically) but from what I've seen, this is almost certainly due to different institutional packaging policies rather than FAFSA itself. The FAFSA just provides your family's financial data and calculates your SAI score - it doesn't directly determine who gets what loans. Each institution creates their own methodology for how they use that data to construct financial aid packages, including whether they automatically include subsidized loans or not.
I'll definitely update! Called Twin B's financial aid office this morning and you were right - they don't automatically include loans in their initial packages. They said we can request federal loans up to $5,500 for the year, which is exactly what Twin A was offered automatically. Mystery solved! Thanks everyone for your help!
Shelby Bauman
One thing nobody mentioned yet - after your SAI appears, the next step is for your FAFSA information to be sent to the schools you listed on your application. This usually happens automatically, but sometimes there can be delays in this step too. Once the schools receive your information, they'll use your SAI to determine your financial aid package. If it's been more than 2 weeks since you submitted your FAFSA and you still don't see an SAI, I would definitely contact Federal Student Aid to check if there's an issue they need to resolve. Better to address any problems early in the process!
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Charity Cohan
Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I'll wait one more week before I start to worry. It sounds like 5-7 business days is normal for the SAI to appear. I'll update once mine shows up!
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