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One thing to keep in mind - after you submit corrections, there's typically another 3-5 day processing period before the schools receive the updated information. Since you mentioned Jake and Tyler are at different schools, I'd recommend following up with both financial aid offices early next week to confirm they received the corrected data. This is especially important if either school has priority deadlines approaching for institutional aid.
Did u have to redo all the tax info when making corrections or just the boys' personal stuff?? When I had to fix mine it made me reenter EVERYTHING and it took like 2 hours ugh
The FAFSA system this year is complete garbage. They rushed out all these "simplification" changes without proper testing and now students are paying the price. I've been trying to help my nephew with his application for WEEKS and we keep hitting different errors. The signature page issue is especially bad because it's literally the last step before submission, so you think you're done and then... ERROR. I complained to my congressman about it and surprisingly his office responded saying they've received hundreds of similar complaints and are pressuring the Department of Education to extend all financial aid deadlines this year. Maybe we should all be contacting our representatives about this disaster.
That's actually a great idea. I hadn't thought about contacting our representative, but you're right - this is a systemic issue that's affecting so many students. I'm going to do that tomorrow. Can't hurt to add another voice to the complaints!
UPDATE: Finally got it to work! After trying basically everything suggested here, what finally worked was: 1. Using Microsoft Edge in InPrivate mode (thanks to the financial aid advisor who suggested this!) 2. Turning off my ad blocker (great tip from the parent who mentioned popup blockers) 3. Doing it at 5:30am when the system wasn't busy We got all the way through and have our confirmation email! Our SAI score was immediately available too. Now I'm going to help my daughter email her schools to explain the delay just to be safe. Thank you all so much for your help - I was seriously ready to throw my computer out the window!
Excellent news! I'm glad you got it resolved. That 5:30am timing definitely helps with the FAFSA system performance. Smart move to still contact the schools - it's always good to document these situations even after they're resolved.
Just to add - don't forget that the Parent PLUS loan is also an option if the financial aid packages don't cover enough. That's what we ended up doing to fill the gap. It's not ideal because the interest rates aren't great, but it's there if you need it.
Be careful with Parent PLUS loans though! The interest rates are ridiculous and they can really add up. We're still paying off my oldest kid's PLUS loans 8 years later. Try to avoid them if possible.
Thank you everyone for your helpful responses! I feel so much better now understanding that this is just the federal portion and not the complete aid package. We'll wait for the schools to send their financial aid offers before making any decisions. One more question - if one school offers significantly less aid than another, is it possible to ask them to match the better offer? I've heard some people have success with this approach but wasn't sure if it's common practice.
Yes, this is called a financial aid appeal or professional judgment review. If you receive a significantly better offer from a comparable institution, you can absolutely contact your preferred school's financial aid office and ask if they can reconsider their offer based on the competing offer. Be prepared to provide documentation of the better offer. Many schools have formal appeal processes, and success rates vary by institution. It's always worth trying, especially if your preferred school is similar in standing to the one that gave the better offer.
Hey so i had a sorta similar question - do we have to like tell the schools somehow that we did the FAFSA? Or do they automatically get notified? My FAFSA was submitted 5 weeks ago but none of my schools have sent me anything about financial aid yet.
The schools you listed on your FAFSA should automatically receive your information once it's processed. However, if it's been 5 weeks and your FAFSA shows as processed on studentaid.gov but you haven't heard from schools, you should: 1. Verify that your FAFSA shows "Processed" not "Processing" 2. Confirm all schools were correctly listed with proper school codes 3. Contact each school's financial aid office directly to check if they received your FAFSA Some schools won't send award letters until you're admitted, so that could also explain the delay.
when my brother applied he forgot to hit submit after filling everything out and thought he was done lol. double check u actually submitted it all the way!!!
Lol I definitely submitted it! I can see my SAI score now on the website. Just waiting for schools to send their actual aid offers. Fingers crossed they come soon!
Philip Cowan
One more thing to consider: The Parent PLUS loan program requires a completed FAFSA. While these are parent loans (not student loans), they're available regardless of income and have better terms than many private lending options if your family ends up needing additional financing beyond what you qualify for directly. Even families with substantial incomes often use PLUS loans for the flexible repayment terms.
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Demi Hall
Update: I talked to my parents and showed them all your comments. They agreed to help with the FAFSA after I explained they could fill out their portion separately. We're going to sit down this weekend and get it submitted. Thanks everyone for the advice!
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Elliott luviBorBatman
•Wonderful news! Just make sure to submit before your state and school priority deadlines - many schools award institutional aid on a first-come, first-served basis. Good luck with your studies!
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