FAFSA 2025-2026 no longer counts siblings in college - our EFC doubled overnight!

Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest negative impacts of the FAFSA Simplification Act. The SAI formula no longer includes the automatic reduction for multiple students that the old EFC formula did. But don't panic yet - many colleges are aware of this issue and are implementing their own institutional methodologies to account for siblings. Your best approach is to: 1. Contact each school's financial aid office directly and ask specifically about their policy for multiple students in college 2. Submit a special circumstances appeal to both financial aid offices explaining this hardship 3. Look into CSS Profile schools - many still consider multiple students in their institutional methodology Some schools are creating supplemental forms specifically to collect this information since it's no longer on the FAFSA.

OMG same exact problem here!!! We have triplets and our contribution TRIPLED from last year. This is absurd! The whole system is designed to SCREW middle class families. We don't qualify for Pell Grants but definitely can't afford full price either. 😡 What genius decided this was a good idea?

I worked in a financial aid office until last year and this is definitely causing major problems for families. A few important things to know: 1. Contact both schools NOW - don't wait for aid packages 2. Use the exact term "Professional Judgment Request" in your communications 3. Provide documentation showing both students are enrolled 4. Calculate what your contribution would have been under the old formula (roughly 50-60% per student) 5. Be persistent but professional Many institutions already have policies in place for this specific issue since they knew the change was coming. Some will automatically adjust for siblings, others require formal appeals.

I spent hours trying to reach someone at Federal Student Aid about this exact issue a few weeks ago. After getting disconnected multiple times, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in about 15 minutes. They were able to confirm this change is permanent but also gave me specific guidance on submitting appeals to our schools. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Totally worth it to actually speak to a human who could answer my questions.

i think its totally unfair!!!!! we have 3 kids in college and our fafsa says we need to pay $28k per kid now?!?? last year it was like $11k each. how did congres approve this???

For those asking about calculating what your EFC would have been under the old formula, here's a simplified approach: 1. Take your current SAI number 2. Divide by the number of college students in your family 3. Multiply by 1.1 (this accounts for some formula differences) This gives you a rough estimate of what each child's portion would have been under the old system. Use this in your appeals to show the dramatic difference. Many schools have put aside additional institutional funds specifically for these cases, but you need to be proactive and reach out ASAP.

Not to be pessimistic, but the financial aid system is so broken. At least with the CSS Profile schools there's still some consideration for siblings. My sister just started at a state school and I'm at a private college that uses CSS Profile, and my aid package did account for her being in school too. Maybe look into transfer options to schools that use CSS Profile?

My cousin works in the financial aid office at [redacted] University and said they're automatically adjusting packages for families with multiple students even though FAFSA doesn't factor it in anymore. Not all schools are doing this though so def call and ask specifically!!

After speaking to several financial aid directors about this issue, I've learned that most schools in these categories are proactively addressing multiple student households: 1. Private colleges with significant endowments 2. Public flagships with strong institutional aid programs 3. Schools that also use CSS Profile The institutions most likely to create hardship are regional public universities and community colleges that rely heavily on federal methodology without much institutional aid to supplement. Contact both schools immediately, but also consider whether one child might be better off at an institution with more flexible aid policies if the appeals don't work out.

can someone just say if pell grants still consider multiple students? or did they change that also?

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - it's incredibly stressful when financial aid changes like this hit without warning. I went through something similar last year when my oldest started college, though not quite this dramatic. A few things that might help while you're working on appeals: 1. Document EVERYTHING - save all your communication with schools, keep records of your calls/emails 2. Ask each school's financial aid office if they have a "sibling enrollment verification form" - some have created these specifically for this issue 3. Consider reaching out to your state's higher education agency - some states are advocating for affected families 4. Look into payment plan options at both schools to spread costs while appeals are processed Also, don't give up on getting through to FSA - try calling right when they open (8am EST) or late in the day around 7pm. The hold times are brutal but sometimes you can get through. You're not alone in this - so many families are facing the same shock. Keep advocating for your kids and don't be afraid to escalate to financial aid directors if the initial staff can't help.

I'm dealing with this exact same situation! Just got our SAI back and it's absolutely devastating - went from around $8,000 per kid last year to $19,500 each this year with my twins both juniors. I've been reading through all these comments and wanted to share what I've learned so far from calling around: 1. Some schools are automatically flagging families with multiple students for review, but you still need to reach out proactively 2. The term "Professional Judgment" is key - use that exact phrase when contacting financial aid offices 3. I found success emailing rather than calling initially - you get a paper trail and can attach documentation right away I also discovered that some schools have internal deadlines for these appeals that are earlier than you'd expect, so don't wait! One of my daughter's schools said they need all documentation by April 15th to be considered for additional institutional aid. Has anyone had success with their state representatives getting involved? I'm wondering if there's any legislative push to address this at the federal level, or if we're stuck dealing with it school by school. Stay strong everyone - we'll figure this out together! 💪

I'm so grateful for everyone sharing their experiences and advice here. As someone just starting to navigate this nightmare, I wanted to add a few resources I've discovered that might help others: 1. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has published guidance specifically about the sibling enrollment issue - worth mentioning to schools that they have official recommendations 2. I found that reaching out to the dean of students (not just financial aid) sometimes gets faster responses, especially at smaller schools 3. Some colleges are creating "FAFSA Impact" or "Multiple Enrollment" supplemental forms - ask specifically if these exist Also, for anyone struggling with the appeals process, I've started keeping a spreadsheet tracking which schools I've contacted, when, what they said, and what documentation they need. It's helping me stay organized when everything feels so overwhelming. One question for the group - has anyone had success getting schools to honor their previous year's aid packages as a baseline for appeals? I'm wondering if that's a reasonable ask or if I should focus on other approaches. Thanks again to everyone for making this feel less isolating. The solidarity here is incredible! 💙

I'm just starting to deal with this situation myself - my twins are high school seniors and we're looking at their financial aid offers now. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both terrifying and incredibly helpful. Our SAI came back at $31,200 which would have been around $17,000 per child under the old system based on the calculation @StarStrider provided earlier. I wanted to share a few things I've learned from talking to admissions counselors during this process: 1. Some schools are proactively reaching out to families they identify as having multiple students - but don't wait for them to contact you 2. Private schools with larger endowments seem more willing to make adjustments than smaller regional publics 3. Merit aid at some schools is being increased to help offset this federal formula change For families still in the application process, I'd recommend specifically asking about sibling policies during school visits. Some admissions officers told us they're tracking which families might be affected so they can provide guidance early. This whole thread has given me so much hope that there are solutions out there - thank you all for sharing your knowledge and supporting each other through this mess. I'm bookmarking all these suggestions for when we start our appeals process!

This thread has been incredibly helpful - thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions! As a newcomer to this community dealing with the same FAFSA nightmare, I wanted to add a few resources I've discovered that might help others: I found that the College Board has a "FAFSA Simplification Impact" webpage that explains the changes in detail, which has been useful when explaining the situation to financial aid offices. Also, some state higher education agencies are maintaining lists of schools that have implemented sibling adjustment policies - worth checking if your state has this resource. One thing I learned from calling around is to ask specifically if the school has a "multiple enrollment appeal form" or if they want you to submit a general professional judgment request. Some schools have streamlined processes specifically for this issue, while others want it handled through their standard appeals process. Also, for anyone still struggling to get through to FSA, I've had better luck using their online chat feature during off-peak hours (early morning or late evening). The wait times are still long but at least you're not stuck holding a phone. Has anyone had success with getting their state representatives involved? I'm wondering if there's momentum building for any kind of legislative fix to address this issue more systematically. Staying hopeful that we can all find solutions for our families! 💪