FAFSA aid package missing federal loans - does my daughter not qualify?

No, that doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't qualify! Federal loans are often not automatically included in some schools' initial financial aid packages. Many universities require students to specifically accept or request the federal loans they're eligible for through a separate process. Your daughter should log into her student portal and look for a section specifically about accepting/declining financial aid offers or loan options. Sometimes they're hidden under a separate tab.

same thing happened with my son last year. the school had some weird policy where they don't automatically show the loans until you complete their "loan counseling" module. check if theres anything like that she needs to do first

Most schools don't automatically package loans anymore - it's actually a good thing! Instead of pushing students into debt, many financial aid offices now require students to actively request the loans they need. Your daughter almost certainly qualifies for at least the standard Direct Unsubsidized Loan ($5,500 for first-year dependent students, with $3,500 of that potentially being subsidized depending on need). Here's what she needs to do: 1. Look for a "Request Loans" or "Accept Aid" section in her student portal 2. Complete entrance counseling on studentaid.gov if she hasn't already 3. Sign a Master Promissory Note (MPN) on studentaid.gov 4. If none of that works, email financial aid directly If her school is like most, they'll have a form or process specifically for requesting the loans once these steps are complete.

omg schools do this ALL THE TIME and it drives me crazy!! they make it seem like you don't qualify for anything then you have to go hunting through 50 different screens to find the loan options. my daughter almost missed out on her subsidized loans because of this exact thing.

Call the financial aid office!!! I spent WEEKS trying to figure this out on my own and went in circles on their website. Finally I just called and turns out I had a simple flag on my account preventing my loans from showing up. The lady fixed it in like 3 minutes.

You mentioned the HOPE Scholarship - are you in Georgia by any chance? My daughter goes to UGA and they have this weird system where they show the state aid and institutional scholarships first, then about 2-3 weeks later they release the federal aid offers including loans. Might just be a timing issue if you're at a Georgia school.

Quick update based on the Georgia info - your situation makes perfect sense now. Georgia schools typically process state aid (HOPE/Zell Miller) first, then institutional scholarships, and federal aid last. For KSU specifically, they often don't release federal loan eligibility until after orientation or until closer to payment deadlines. Your daughter will almost certainly qualify for the standard Direct Loan amounts ($5,500 for freshmen). If you're still concerned, she can email finaid@kennesaw.edu or use their student portal to message them directly. Include her student ID number in all communications.

when is her first payment due? sometimes they dont show loans until closer to when you gotta pay

my sisters at kennesaw!!! they totaly do this every year, its super annoying. the loans will show up eventually but if ur really worried u can go to the financial aid office in person, they actually super helpful there!!!!

Don't stress too much about this! As someone who went through the exact same thing with my son at a Georgia school, this is totally normal timing. Most Georgia universities process aid in waves - state aid first (like your daughter's HOPE), then institutional scholarships, and federal aid comes last. Since you mentioned her acceptance was a bit late, that could definitely explain the delay. Federal loans almost always show up eventually, especially since your FAFSA was filed properly in January. If you're still not seeing anything by mid-July, that's when I'd start making calls. But honestly, with an August payment deadline, you've got plenty of time for everything to process normally.