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.