Can I apply for FAFSA for myself while my kid is also in college? Need parent-student advice

You absolutely need your own separate FSA ID and FAFSA application. The parent account you created was specifically to provide your information as a contributor to your daughter's application. For your own application, you'll be the student (primary), not the parent. As for aid when both parent and child are in school, there's potential for more aid, especially if your Expected Family Contribution (now called Student Aid Index or SAI) is affected by your own educational expenses. However, this mostly affects your daughter's aid, not necessarily yours. As an independent student (which you would be by age), your SAI calculation won't include your daughter's status.

good luck lol the system is NOT designed for parent students at all!!! i tried this 2 years ago and it was a nightmare. they kept getting confused about which application was which and my sons financial aid got delayed for MONTHS because they thought there was fraud happening with duplicate applications or something

I'm going through this exact situation right now! Yes, you need your own FSA ID completely separate from your parent profile on your daughter's FAFSA. When you create your own FAFSA, you'll be filing as an independent student (assuming you're over 24). The good news: on your daughter's 2025-2026 FAFSA, there's a question about how many people in the household will be in college. When you indicate that you (a parent) are also in college, this CAN positively impact her aid eligibility because it essentially divides the expected family contribution. Your income is effectively stretched between two students. For your own aid: As an independent student, you'll likely qualify for the full Pell Grant amount if your income is moderate. You'll also have access to federal loans with the annual limit for independent students (which is higher than dependent students). Just make sure to keep all documentation very organized - separate files for her FAFSA and yours to avoid confusion!

Yes, it absolutely can help! On the 2025-2026 FAFSA, when you indicate multiple family members in college, the Student Aid Index (SAI) formula takes this into account. The household's ability to pay is considered to be divided among the number of students. So if your calculated SAI would have been $10,000 with just your son in college, it might be reduced significantly with three family members enrolled. You should definitely update your son's FAFSA if you haven't indicated this information!

There's a catch though!!!! Not all schools consider parents in college the same way when determining institutional aid! The FAFSA formula may calculate a lower SAI when parents are in college, BUT many private colleges that require the CSS Profile will disregard the parent-in-college status when calculating their own institutional aid. They only count children pursuing undergraduate degrees. So while your federal aid eligibility might improve, if your daughter is at a CSS Profile school, they might not give her additional institutional grants based on you being in school too. Check with her specific financial aid office about their policy.

Try calling Federal Student Aid directly to get clear answers. I called them about a similar situation last month and got bounced around 5 different departments before someone could actually answer my questions about household members in college. Waited on hold forever and then got disconnected twice. So frustrating!!

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'm going to start my own FAFSA application this weekend and make sure to keep all the documentation separate from my daughter's. I'll also check with her financial aid office about how they handle the parent-student situation specifically. Fingers crossed we both get good aid packages!

good luck!!! btw what program are u going into?? im in year 2 of paralegal studies and its been hard but worth it

its been crazy tbh. i do school at night and work during day. barely sleep lol. but my kid seeing me graduate will be worth it!!! nursing is awesome my sister did that at 42!!

Congratulations on taking this step! I went back to school at 45 while my son was a sophomore and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. Just wanted to add a practical tip - when you're filling out your own FAFSA, make sure to use a completely different email address than what you used for your daughter's application. I used the same email initially and it caused some confusion in the system. Also, nursing programs often have additional scholarships specifically for non-traditional students, so definitely look into those opportunities once you get accepted. The workload is intense but totally manageable if you stay organized. You've got this!