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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.
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!!
UPDATE: You were all right!! I went back in and found that I had completed all the questions but never did the final review and submission with the digital signature. Just finished that part properly and got a REAL confirmation screen this time with a submission ID number. The dashboard now shows "Submitted" instead of "In progress." My son should get his email invitation soon. Thank you all so much for your help!!
Excellent! Glad you got it resolved. Just remember for next year that the parent submission must be fully completed (including signature) before the student can access their portion. The process is sequential by design.
Pro tip: set a calendar reminder to check the status a week after u think you've submitted. i do this cuz the FAFSA website is so glitchy sometimes that even when u think you've done everything right, something still goes wrong lol
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.
Thank you for explaining this! I was so confused about what happens after processing. Once I get my SAI, how long does it typically take for schools to send their aid packages?
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.
AstroAdventurer
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.
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Carmen Lopez
•Thank you for the update! I'll try these exact steps tonight. Really appreciate everyone's help with this frustrating situation!
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Mei Lin
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
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