I'm going through the same thing right now with my son's FAFSA! I was so worried when it skipped the bank account questions because I kept second-guessing myself. Reading through all these responses has been super helpful - especially learning about the income thresholds and how the new SAI system works. I'm definitely going to contact his college's financial aid office to see if they need any additional documentation beyond what FAFSA collected. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a parent going through this process for the first time with my daughter's FAFSA, and I had the exact same panic when those bank account questions never showed up. I kept refreshing the page thinking it was a technical error! It's really reassuring to see that this is actually part of the new streamlined system and not something we messed up. The explanations about the income thresholds and SAI changes are super clear - I wish FAFSA had better communication about these changes upfront so parents wouldn't worry. Definitely going to follow the advice here and check with her school's financial aid office to see what additional documentation they might need beyond the federal form.

I'm so glad you posted about this! As a parent who went through FAFSA corrections two years ago, I can confirm that fixing the family size field is absolutely worth it and won't restart your entire application. When my youngest was applying for college, I accidentally entered our family size as 3 instead of 4, and correcting it increased our aid by almost $2,000 for the year. The correction process was much simpler than I expected - just log in, make the change, and submit. It took about a week to get the updated SAI, and then I contacted the school's financial aid office to make sure they had the new information. With your income level and actual family size of 5, you're potentially leaving significant money on the table by not correcting this. Don't let fear of the process keep you from getting the aid your family deserves!

Just wanted to follow up on this thread as someone who made a similar correction last month. I had left the family size blank on our FAFSA and corrected it after reading advice similar to what's been shared here. The process was indeed straightforward - took about 6 business days to get my updated SAI, and it resulted in an additional $1,400 in Pell Grant eligibility for my daughter. The key thing I learned is to immediately contact your school's financial aid office after making the correction. They were able to pull the updated information and adjust her aid package within two weeks. Don't wait on this - every day you delay is potentially money left on the table, especially with your low income and large family size. The financial aid officers I spoke with said family size corrections are very common and they're used to processing these updates quickly when students notify them.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone who contributed to this incredibly important discussion! I'm just beginning my FAFSA application process and honestly would have been completely vulnerable to this type of scam without reading this thread first. The detailed explanations from financial aid professionals, IT experts, and cybersecurity specialists have been invaluable in helping me understand what legitimate verification processes actually look like. What's particularly alarming is how these scammers are specifically targeting the exact documents (SSN card + driver's license) that would give them everything they need for complete identity theft. The fact that they're using official-looking logos and .edu-style emails during the stressful financial aid season shows how calculated these attacks are. The key lessons I'm taking away: legitimate schools never request these sensitive documents via email, always use secure portals or in-person submission, and when in doubt, call the official number directly from the school's website. This community's quick and protective response really demonstrates the importance of looking out for each other during vulnerable times. I'll definitely be sharing this information with other first-time FAFSA applicants to help protect them from these sophisticated scams!

As someone who's completely new to both this community and the FAFSA process, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm currently preparing to submit my first FAFSA application and honestly had no clue that scammers were running such sophisticated operations targeting students during financial aid season. Reading through all the expert responses from financial aid advisors, IT professionals, and cybersecurity specialists has been like getting a free education in fraud prevention that I desperately needed. What's most terrifying to me is how these criminals are specifically requesting the exact combination of documents (SSN card + driver's license) that would give them everything needed for complete identity theft, and they're doing it during the most stressful time when students are panicked about missing aid deadlines. The fact that they're using official logos and .edu-style emails shows just how calculated and predatory these attacks have become. The consensus from everyone here is crystal clear: legitimate schools NEVER request these sensitive documents via regular email and always provide secure submission methods through student portals or in-person options. I'm definitely going to follow the advice to always verify any suspicious requests by calling the school directly using the official number from their website, not any contact info from the potentially fake email. Thank you to everyone who jumped in so quickly to protect a fellow student - this community's response gives me so much confidence that I have a safe place to ask questions as I navigate this complex process. I'm absolutely going to share this thread with other first-time FAFSA applicants in my program to help protect them from these dangerous scams!

Just wanted to jump in as someone currently going through this process! My son is also starting fall 2025 and we're in a similar boat. One thing I learned from calling our school's financial aid office is that they actually encourage parents to create their FSA ID account NOW if you haven't already - that way you're ready to go the moment the PLUS loan application opens. The FSA ID creation process can take a few days to verify, so getting that done early saves time later. Also, our school's financial aid counselor mentioned that if you have questions about the award letter when it arrives, don't hesitate to schedule a phone appointment with them. They can often explain exactly how much you'd need to borrow and walk you through the next steps. The whole process is definitely nerve-wracking but at least we're all figuring it out together!

As a new parent navigating this process, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my daughter starting fall 2025. One question I haven't seen addressed - for those who've done this before, do schools typically send award letters all at once or do they trickle in over weeks/months? I'm trying to plan when to expect ours so I can start the Parent PLUS process with enough time before any deposit deadlines. Also, has anyone had experience with appealing financial aid awards if the package isn't sufficient? I'm wondering if that's something to try before committing to a large Parent PLUS loan amount.

As a first-generation college student who just got accepted to UCLA, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! My MCS estimate is $4,150 and I was honestly terrified about whether I could trust that number for my financial planning. Reading everyone's real experiences - especially seeing how most estimates ended up being pretty close to actual awards - has given me so much more confidence. I'm definitely going to follow all the advice here: calling at 8am, getting my tax transcripts ready (didn't even know that was different from tax returns!), scheduling a one-on-one meeting with a financial aid counselor, and building that 10-15% buffer into my budget. It's also huge to know about resources like the economic crisis response team as a safety net. What really strikes me is how much more helpful everyone's personal experiences are compared to the official financial aid websites. Those sites tell you what MCS is but don't give you any sense of how reliable the estimates actually are or what to watch out for. This community is amazing for filling in those gaps with real, practical advice. Thank you all for taking the time to share your stories - it's making this whole process feel so much less overwhelming! 💙💛

As a transfer student who just got my UCLA financial aid package with a $3,650 MCS estimate, this thread has been incredibly reassuring! I was especially worried because transfer students sometimes get different treatment with aid, but seeing everyone's experiences with estimates being pretty close to actual awards gives me hope. One thing I'm curious about - has anyone here dealt with MCS as a transfer student specifically? I'm wondering if the verification process or timing is any different for us since we're starting mid-way through our UC journey. My community college counselor wasn't familiar with the MCS program details. Also taking notes on all the practical advice here: the 8am calling strategy, having tax transcripts ready, and definitely going to try to schedule that one-on-one meeting with a financial aid counselor. The 10-15% budget buffer tip is smart too - I was planning to rely on the full estimate amount which probably wasn't the wisest approach. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of info transfer students like me need but can never find in the official resources!