Make sure both you and your daughter use different email addresses and different phone numbers when creating FSA IDs. The system gets extremely confused if there's any overlap. Also, have all your tax documents ready before starting - the process goes much smoother when you can directly transfer tax information using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool rather than entering everything manually.

Good tip! I'll use my personal email and have her use her school email. And I'll definitely gather all our tax documents beforehand.

One more thing to consider: make sure both students complete their own FAFSA applications separately. Even though your SAI is calculated at the parent level, each student needs their own application. Sometimes I see families missing out on aid because they incorrectly think one FAFSA covers all their children. Also, the SAI can sometimes change slightly due to student-specific factors, so don't assume both will have identical aid packages.

Contact your congressperson!!!!! Seriously, this change to FAFSA is DESTROYING middle class families with multiple kids in college. There's a group of parents pushing for legislation to fix this. The more complaints they get the better chance we have of getting this fixed!!

THIS IS WHY THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS A JOKE!!! SAI means STUDENT AID INDEX and is supposed to show what you can pay but then they ignore it completely!! They know EXACTLY what you can afford (-1500 means you can pay NOTHING) and then leave a $20k gap anyway?? I've been through this with 3 kids now and it's gotten worse each time. The financial aid system is completely broken. Negative SAI should mean FULL COVERAGE of costs, period.

After reading through all the comments, I'd suggest taking these specific steps: 1. Have your son accept the current aid package to hold his spot but don't pay any deposits yet 2. File a Special Circumstances form (different from regular appeal) documenting your fixed income situation 3. Contact your state's Vocational Rehabilitation Services about funding for ASL interpreter training 4. Look for program-specific scholarships from organizations like RID and NAD (National Association of the Deaf) 5. Consider having your son take the minimum federal loans ($5,500) to reduce the gap Despite the frustrating system, there are ways to piece together funding, especially for specialized programs like ASL interpretation that address critical workforce shortages.

Just to clarify an important point - once your FAFSA is processed, what you'll see is your SAI (Student Aid Index), which replaced the old EFC. This is just a number that schools use to determine your aid eligibility. A lower SAI means you're eligible for more need-based aid. Don't panic if your SAI seems high - each school has different formulas for awarding aid, and you might still qualify for merit scholarships, work-study, and federal loans regardless of your SAI. The schools will put together financial aid packages based on their own budgets and your information.

Update us when your status changes! I'm curious how long it ends up taking with the new FAFSA system. My sister is applying next month, so I'm trying to gather real experiences to set her expectations.

Update: I just checked the studentaid.gov help center, and they added a new guide specifically for this issue. If you're on the signature page but need to go back: 1. Click on the three-line menu icon in the top corner 2. Select "Return to FAFSA form" 3. This will take you back to the section-by-section view 4. Complete any missing sections 5. Then return to the signature process Hope this helps! The redesigned system is definitely creating confusion for many applicants this year.

my brother just went thru this and had to call the fafsa ppl like 5 times to fix it. something about the parent contribution section being glitchy. good luck lol