UPDATE: I just want to clarify something important for everyone in this thread. For federal Parent PLUS loans, you only need to complete one application and one Master Promissory Note per academic year. However, many schools have their own internal processes that require additional confirmation steps for each semester's disbursement. This is why I always recommend contacting your specific institution rather than relying on general advice. Their internal processes might require actions that aren't part of the federal requirements but are still necessary for timely disbursement.

this is exactly why i took out a home equity loan instead of dealing with parent plus loans every semester!! so much easier even tho the interest is probably higher lol

Just to follow up on this thread - there's another scenario I've seen cause this issue. If your husband created his FSA ID but then used a different email address when completing the FAFSA contributor section, the system sometimes fails to properly connect his FSA ID with his contributor information, resulting in an incomplete status despite showing an SAI. This has been a widespread problem with the 2025-2026 FAFSA that the Department of Education has acknowledged but hasn't fully resolved. When you log in to check, pay special attention to the email addresses associated with each person's section.

UPDATE: We figured it out! My husband logged in and discovered he completed everything EXCEPT checking the final "I agree" box and clicking submit on the very last page. He had saved his progress but never actually submitted. The confusing part is that it let my daughter get an SAI calculation anyway. Thank you everyone for your help! We've properly submitted everything now and got a confirmation number. Now just waiting for the colleges to update their systems and stop sending those reminder emails!

Just checking back - any luck with the invitation? If you're still having trouble, remember that while waiting, you can still be proactive by gathering the documents you'll need for the parent portion: 2023 tax returns, W-2s, and records of any untaxed income. That way you'll be ready to complete it quickly once the invitation arrives.

told ya that would work! 👍

Anyone else notice how EVERY SINGLE YEAR they manage to break something new with the FAFSA? Last year it was the income verification, the year before the website crashed constantly... I swear they do this on purpose to reduce the number of people who successfully apply! My daughter lost a $5000 scholarship last year because her FAFSA wasn't processed in time due to their errors!!

Update on my situation - finally got our signature issue fixed this morning! Called FSA at exactly 8:00 AM Eastern when their phone lines open and only had to wait 20 minutes. The agent said there's a known bug with parent signatures in Chrome browsers specifically. They reset the signature section in their system and I was able to sign again. The status is now showing as 'processing' instead of 'missing signature.

Oh and to answer your other question - DEFINITELY do the whole year at once! Each loan application is another hard inquiry on your credit report, plus most lenders have minimum loan amounts (like $1000 or $1500) so you might end up having to borrow more than you need if you go semester by semester.

After getting input from several people here, I'd suggest you make a spreadsheet to compare your options. Here's what to include for each lender: - Interest rate (noting if fixed or variable) - Any rate discounts for autopay or good grades - Origination fees - Repayment terms (years) - Monthly payment amount - TOTAL amount paid over life of loan - Deferment/forbearance options - Co-signer release timeline - Customer service ratings (check Consumer Affairs website) When I did this comparison, the differences between lenders added up to over $4,000 in total repayment costs for a $10,000 loan. So it's definitely worth your time to research thoroughly.