FAFSA advice for recent divorce & community college transfer - need 1:1 help!

I went through something similar last year! The campus financial aid offices can be frustratingly vague. Since your divorce was finalized in 2023, for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, your son will report the finances of whichever parent he lived with MORE during the past 12 months. Doesn't matter who claims him on taxes!

For the 2025-2026 FAFSA application, since your divorce was finalized in 2023, your son will use the financial information of the parent he lived with the most during the 12 months prior to completing the application. If time was split equally, then it would be the parent who provided more financial support. Regarding your question about appointments - yes, you absolutely can schedule a one-on-one meeting! Most college financial aid offices offer personal appointments, but you need to be specific when scheduling. Don't just ask general questions - request a "special circumstances review" or "professional judgment appointment" specifically mentioning the divorce situation. Also, make sure your son completes the CSS Profile if any of his target schools require it (many private universities do). The CSS Profile treats divorce differently than FAFSA, and they'll want financial information from both parents in many cases.

my son went to community college too!!!! best decison ever, saved sooooo much $$$. when he transfered we got really confused about the fafsa too. for us the school financial aid ppl were useless tbh, they just kept telling us "check online" like we hadn't already tried that lol

The FINANCIAL AID SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY RIGGED AGAINST DIVORCED PARENTS!!! I went through this nightmare last year with my daughter. They make it INTENTIONALLY CONFUSING so they can give you LESS MONEY! We got practically NOTHING even though we qualified for aid before the divorce. The government doesn't care about your "special circumstances" - it's all algorithms now. Be prepared for your SAI to go way up after divorce because they only count one parent's income but still expect the same contribution! It's OUTRAGEOUS! And good luck getting anyone on the phone at Federal Student Aid - I spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Technically for the 2025-2026 FAFSA, only one parent's information is required post-divorce - specifically the parent who provided more financial support during the past year (regardless of custody arrangements). HOWEVER, this can actually work against you in some cases because the FAFSA no longer considers the total household size of both parents, potentially resulting in a higher SAI. Here's what I recommend: 1. Calculate your son's potential SAI both ways (with either you or your ex as the contributor) to see which results in the lower SAI 2. Document all housing arrangements for the past 12 months in case verification is required 3. Contact both your state's higher education assistance foundation AND the university financial aid office directly 4. When your son's admission is confirmed, immediately request a "Professional Judgment Review" due to the recent divorce 5. Get his transfer credits evaluated ASAP as this can affect his grade level for loan limits Good luck!

I work in college admissions and deal with this exact situation frequently. Here's what most people don't realize about transfers from community college after a divorce: 1. Your son qualifies as a "continuing student" since he's already in college, which means he can sometimes request expedited processing 2. For 2025-2026, the parent who provided MORE financial support during the preceding 12 months should complete the FAFSA (regardless of where the student lived more) 3. You ABSOLUTELY can get a 1:1 appointment, but you need to contact the university financial aid office directly - not the general admissions office 4. Make sure to specifically mention that you need a "professional judgment review due to change in family circumstances" - this is the official language that will get you the right appointment 5. Bring documentation of the divorce finalization and financial support records to the appointment 6. If your son's community college has a transfer counselor, they often have direct contacts with university financial aid offices that can expedite this process Hope this helps!

ur son should do the fafsa himself tbh. im in college and did mine myself and got way more $ than when my parents did it for me lol. also ur divorce might actually help him get more aid cuz they only count one parents money now not both!!

I want to add an important detail about the transition from community college to a 4-year institution that many miss. For transfer students, there's often special "transfer scholarships" that aren't automatically considered with the general financial aid process. Make sure your son specifically asks about: - Phi Theta Kappa transfer scholarships (if he's a member) - Academic merit scholarships specifically for transfer students - Departmental scholarships from his intended major - Community college partnership scholarships (many 4-year schools have special relationships with local CCs) These are completely separate from the FAFSA/federal aid process and require separate applications with different deadlines. I've seen transfer students miss out on thousands in scholarships simply because they focused solely on FAFSA and didn't realize these other options existed.

i just remembered someting else..... make sure u tell ur son to request his official transrcipt from the community college ASAP!!! my son almost missed a deadline because they take forever to process those requests especially during graduation time. the university wont finalize his aid package without the final transcript!!