FAFSA Pell Grant/federal loans missing from college aid offer - can they update the estimate?

This happened to both my kids last year!! The first estimate from colleges often only includes their institutional aid (scholarships from the school itself). Federal aid like Pell Grants and Direct Loans usually gets added later in a revised package. Most schools send an updated offer once they've fully processed the FAFSA data.

Former financial aid counselor here. This is unfortunately pretty common. Many schools send out preliminary award letters that only include institutional aid, leaving students and families confused. The FAFSA information is processed separately and sometimes added to the package later. A few things to check: 1. Make sure Westridge was listed on your FAFSA as a school to receive her information 2. Verify your FAFSA is fully processed (not just submitted) - check for a processed SAI on studentaid.gov 3. Call the financial aid office directly rather than waiting for an email response They should absolutely revise the estimate once they incorporate the federal aid. The Pell Grant and federal loans are entitlements if you qualify - the school can't just decide not to give them to you.

My daughter got the exact same thing from 3 schools!! It's crazy how they don't explain this stuff to parents. We were panicking for like 2 weeks before we figured out what was going on.

This is a deliberate tactic many schools use. They send the "partial" aid package first, which makes the cost look higher. Then when they add in the federal aid later, it creates the impression they're giving you "extra" money. It's a psychological game. Definitely call them and specifically ask about federal aid inclusion. If the SAI in your FAFSA summary shows Pell eligibility, they cannot deny that funding. The federal loans are also guaranteed as long as you haven't reached aggregate limits. By the way, I've been waiting 3 weeks to get someone on the phone at the Federal Student Aid information center about a similar issue. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a live person in about 15 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Might be helpful if you need to contact FSA directly about any issues.

colleges do wat they want lol. my son got different amoutns from different schools even tho FAFSA was the same. some included loans some didnt. its confusing af

I work in college admissions (not financial aid, but adjacent) and this is absolutely something that varies by institution. Some schools include all aid sources in the initial estimate, others separate institutional aid from federal/state aid. There's no standardized format for financial aid offers, which is part of why the process is so confusing. Most importantly: YES, they will revise the estimate to include the federal aid you qualify for. The Pell Grant and federal loans aren't discretionary - if your FAFSA shows eligibility, those funds will be included in your final aid package. The college can't just decide to withhold federal aid you qualify for. Call them tomorrow and ask directly about this. Explain that you're trying to make an informed decision and need to understand the complete aid picture including federal sources.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO CONFUSE PARENTS! I spent 20+ hours trying to figure out why my son's packages were all different from different schools. Some included loans, some didn't, some showed Pell, others didn't mention it at all but just reduced the cost by that amount without explaining. It's CRIMINAL how they make this process so complicated.

Update from the original poster? Did you get this resolved? I'm curious what the school said when you called them.

That's awesome! So glad you got it resolved. My daughter is heading to college next fall, and I'm already dreading going through this process again with all the confusing financial aid offers.

As someone who just went through this nightmare with my twin daughters applying to different schools, I can't stress enough how important it is to get EVERYTHING in writing from the financial aid office. When you call, ask them to email you a confirmation of what they told you about the federal aid being included in the final package. I learned this the hard way when one school "forgot" to include my daughter's subsidized loans in the final offer even though they verbally confirmed it would be there. Having that email trail saved us when we had to appeal. Also, don't be afraid to ask for a timeline - "final package next week" is vague. Get a specific date so you can follow up if needed!