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my daughters school made her redo the fafsa twice and i never got any emails about it either time lol
It's also worth noting that for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, FSA has made some changes to their communication system. They now send more updates to the student's portal inbox rather than email. Have your daughter check her studentaid.gov message center regularly, as important notices might be there rather than in email. The system has been a bit inconsistent this year with the rollout of the new FAFSA.
Good to know! I'll make sure she checks that too. Is there any way for me to get access to see those messages or does she need to share them with me?
She'll need to share those with you. Under FERPA (privacy laws), they can't give you direct access to her messages. Some families set up a shared email address specifically for college/financial aid stuff to make this easier, but that's more useful before submitting applications. At this point, your daughter will need to either forward messages or take screenshots to share them with you.
I just went thru this exact thing!!! My situation was reverse tho - I moved back TO my kid's college state and took over FAFSA from my ex who moved away. The residency stuff worked out fine but we had a NIGHTMARE with the contributor switch because my ex had linked his bank accounts to the old FAFSA and somehow we couldn't unlink them without him being present which was impossible since he moved to Alaska! We had to do a whole appeal process and my daughter almost lost her second semester aid bcause of the delays!!! Start this process EARLY!!!!!
One final note - your son should also check with his specific college's financial aid office about their process for documenting the change in which parent is providing support. Some schools require additional documentation to maintain in-state tuition when a parent moves out of state, while others will just need confirmation that the in-state parent is now the primary contributor on the FAFSA. It's best to get this clarified directly with the school to prevent any surprises with his tuition status.
has anyone heard if theyre changing the SAI formula again this year?? last year my daughter's SAI was completely different than her EFC would have been and we got way less aid than expected. the whole new system is so confusing!!
The SAI formula should remain the same for 2025-2026. The major formula changes were implemented with the FAFSA Simplification Act and those aren't scheduled to change again for several years. Your daughter's SAI being different from the old EFC calculation is expected - it's an entirely new formula that weighs income and assets differently.
Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'll plan to have everything ready for October 1st but won't panic if there are delays. I've already created FSA IDs for myself and my son, and I've bookmarked that Claimyr service just in case we run into problems. I really hope they've actually fixed the issues this time - last year was so stressful waiting for financial aid packages to come through at the last minute.
Don't forget to gather your 2023 tax returns and W-2s as well! The 2025-2026 FAFSA will use 2023 tax information (two years prior). Having those documents ready will make the process much smoother.
That's fantastic news! Glad it went smoothly. The SAI appearing immediately is definitely a good sign - that's exactly how mine worked, and schools started receiving the information about 4 days later.
Sofia Hernandez
Just a heads up - the "something within a week" is often their request for income verification. About 30% of FAFSA applications get selected for verification, where you need to provide additional documentation to confirm the income information on your FAFSA. If that happens, you'll need to submit documents like tax returns, W-2 forms, and possibly a verification worksheet. Don't worry if this happens - it doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Just respond promptly with the requested documents to avoid delays in her final aid package.
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Dylan Campbell
•Thank you for the heads up. Do schools typically tell you immediately if you've been selected for verification? Or might that come later?
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Sofia Hernandez
•They usually tell you right away if you've been selected. The Department of Education flags applications for verification when they're processed, so schools know almost immediately. If you get that verification request, prioritize it - I've seen students lose out on aid because they missed verification deadlines.
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Ava Thompson
One important thing to understand about this year's FAFSA process: colleges are receiving FAFSA data in batches from the Department of Education, but the final SAI calculations are still being worked out. What most colleges are doing now is: 1. Confirming receipt of FAFSA data 2. Identifying any missing information 3. Selecting applicants for verification if needed 4. Preparing preliminary aid packages based on estimated SAI The "something" coming within a week is almost certainly step 1 or 2. Actual aid packages won't be finalized until all four steps are complete, which for most schools means March-April for regular decision applicants.
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Dylan Campbell
•This timeline helps a lot, thank you! I've been so confused by all the changes to the FAFSA this year. Is there anything specific we should be doing while waiting for steps 3 and 4?
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Ava Thompson
•While waiting, I recommend: - Check the student portal frequently (often schools communicate there first) - Gather 2023 tax documents for both student and parents - Research and apply for external scholarships - If your financial situation has changed significantly since 2023, prepare documentation for a potential professional judgment appeal These steps will help you be ready when the school moves to the verification or packaging stages.
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