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One additional option no one's mentioned - if all else fails with the financial aid office, your daughter could consider taking a gap semester and starting in January instead of August. By then your divorce would be finalized and you could file the FAFSA with just your information as the custodial parent. Not ideal, but better than missing out entirely or taking on excessive loans.
That's something we may have to consider, but I'm really worried about her athletic scholarship if she defers. I'll ask the coach if that's even possible. Thanks for suggesting this backup plan, though - it's good to think through all options.
Have you looked into CSS Profile schools? Some private colleges use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, and it has a non-custodial parent waiver process that's more flexible than FAFSA's rules. If any of the schools she's considering use CSS Profile, you might have better luck getting an exception there.
Her school does use the CSS Profile! I didn't realize they had different rules. I'll definitely look into the non-custodial parent waiver process. Thank you so much for this suggestion!
also don't forget to check ur email spam folder daily!! my daughters aid notification went to spam and we almost missed a deadline to accept it!!
To answer your question about estimating aid from the SAI - it's complicated. Each school uses the SAI differently based on their funding formulas. Some schools meet 100% of demonstrated need, others only a portion. You can use each school's Net Price Calculator (required on every college website) to get a rough estimate. Just know that these calculators vary in accuracy. If you're trying to plan your budget, I'd recommend assuming the worst case (minimal aid) until you get official offers. Many families are shocked by how different the actual offers can be from school to school, even with the same SAI.
That makes sense. We'll definitely use those Net Price Calculators! I'm hoping for some decent aid packages since we're pretty middle-class and my daughter has strong grades. Fingers crossed that at least a few of these schools come through with something affordable.
also just fyi if u get selected for verification STAY ON TOP OF IT!!! my roommate got selected and didn't complete everything in time and lost out on like $4000 for that semester!! they are SUPER strict about deadlines with that stuff
Yep this is so true! And some schools have earlier internal deadlines than what FAFSA says. My brothers verification took so long that he almost didn't get his money in time for spring semester. The whole verification thing is basically them saying "prove you're really this poor" which is annoying but you gotta do it
One more thing to consider: since you'll have a full Pell Grant, you might also be eligible for additional institutional aid from your school. Many colleges offer supplemental grants or scholarships to Pell-eligible students. When you speak with the financial aid office, specifically ask if there are any additional funding opportunities you qualify for with your negative SAI. Also, make sure to file the 2026-2027 FAFSA as soon as it becomes available (usually October 1, 2025) if you plan to continue your education beyond Spring 2026. Early filing often means access to more institutional funds.
I had no idea there might be additional aid available! I'll definitely ask about that when I call tomorrow. And thank you for the reminder about filing early for next year - I'm planning to get my associate's degree so I'll need to keep applying. I feel so much less stressed now having a clear plan of what to do next.
my daugter got a letter from her school saying they received her fafsa today but it was corrected back in march. its all messed up this year lol
March to now? That's almost two months! I really hope ours doesn't take that long. Did they extend her decision deadline because of the delay?
Quick update for everyone in this thread - FSA just released a statement yesterday acknowledging ongoing transmission delays to institutions. They're implementing a system update this weekend that should clear the backlog. If your school still hasn't received your FAFSA by next Wednesday, they recommend submitting a case through the FSA Feedback Center online rather than calling, as the call centers are overwhelmed.
Thank you for sharing this update! That's really helpful information. I'll wait until next Wednesday before submitting a case. Appreciate everyone's help and suggestions!
thx for sharing! just checked and my school FINALLY got our fafsa today!! maybe they started clearing the backlog already??
Kristian Bishop
Just want to give you some hope - my daughter submitted in January too and randomly got her SAI yesterday with no emails or anything beforehand. The system just updated. Maybe check your account again?
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•Just checked again and still nothing 😠But it's good to know it might just suddenly appear!
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Luis Johnson
UPDATE: I called FSA this morning using that Claimyr service I mentioned, and the agent was super helpful. Turns out my application was complete but stuck in a processing queue. She manually pushed it through and said my SAI should appear within 3-5 business days! So relieved I didn't wait any longer to call.
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Axel Far
•Figures that you have to PAY someone just to get the government to do their job! This whole FAFSA system is a JOKE.
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