FAFSA appeal for changed marital status - worth it with $8966 SAI?

YES! Absolutely appeal. This is literally what professional judgment appeals are designed for - major life changes that affect your ability to pay that aren't reflected in the FAFSA. Divorce is one of the most common reasons for appeals. Your daughter's SAI could potentially be reduced significantly if your income alone is now much lower than the combined income they used for the calculation.

same thing hapened to me last yr. got divorsed and my kids fafsa was based on when we were still married. total nightmare!!!! but the skool wouldnt change anything for us said they already gave us the best package 😡

You should definitely appeal. I went through a similar situation with my son last year, though our SAI was higher (around $14k). The most important thing is to document EVERYTHING. You'll need: - Divorce decree - Updated tax returns/W-2s showing just your income - Documentation of any support payments (or lack thereof) - Letters explaining the change in circumstances - Current pay stubs Each school has a different process for special circumstances appeals, so contact the financial aid office directly. Just be prepared that some schools handle these appeals better than others.

To add to what the others said - the timing of your appeal makes a difference. Most schools want you to wait until you've received the initial aid package before filing an appeal. They typically have a formal process for submitting a "Professional Judgment Review" or "Special Circumstances Appeal." This lets the financial aid office recalculate your SAI based on your current situation rather than the outdated FAFSA data.

I work in admissions at a private college. Merit and need-based aid are typically handled separately. The $7500 GPA scholarship won't negatively impact her eligibility for need-based aid. In fact, with your changed circumstances, she might qualify for more need-based aid than the FAFSA initially suggested. However, be aware that many schools have already allocated most of their institutional aid by now. The earlier you can submit your appeal, the better your chances. Also, don't just talk to the general financial aid office - try to get assigned to a specific counselor who can champion your case.

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly? I had to get clarification on a similar situation (my wife and I separated during the tax year) and kept getting busy signals and disconnects. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a live person at FSA who explained exactly what documentation would be needed for the appeal. They have a video demo of how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Saved me hours of frustration and I got the exact information I needed about how to document my change in marital status.

It really did work for me! Got through in about 5 minutes when I'd been trying for days before. The agent was super helpful and gave me specific instructions about what forms I needed.

Just my 2 cents - my daughter had a similar SAI ($9200) and still qualified for a $5000 need-based grant at her school along with her merit scholarship. Don't assume your daughter won't get additional aid! And definitely appeal with the divorce info.

It was a mid-sized private university in the Midwest. About $24k/year tuition. I don't want to name it specifically for privacy reasons, but yes, each school handles it differently. Some have more institutional aid than others.

I'm going through the EXACT same situation right now!!! Just got divorced in December, but FAFSA used our joint 2023 taxes. Our daughter got a $6K merit scholarship but the remaining cost is still WAY more than I can afford on my single income. I submitted an appeal last week with all my new financial info. The financial aid officer told me they see this ALL THE TIME and have a standard process for recalculating based on post-divorce income. Definitely worth trying!!!

btw your daughter got amazing scholarships already!!!! $9500 a year is awesome most kids dont get that much

One important thing to remember - when you appeal, you're asking for a recalculation of your SAI based on changed circumstances, NOT directly asking for more aid. The recalculated SAI will determine eligibility for federal and institutional need-based aid. With your divorce situation, your SAI would likely decrease significantly, which would increase eligibility for need-based aid. Also, be sure to check if there are additional institutional forms beyond FAFSA - some schools require the CSS Profile or their own financial forms for institutional aid consideration.

Just wondering - has your daughter received all her financial aid packages yet? Sometimes schools will offer different amounts, and you can use a better offer to negotiate with your preferred school. My daughter applied to 6 schools and the aid packages varied by more than $8K between schools with similar sticker prices.

I'm in a very similar situation! Got divorced last fall but my son's FAFSA was based on our joint 2023 income. His SAI came back at $12,400 which is way more than I can handle as a single parent. I'm planning to submit a professional judgment appeal as soon as we get his aid package back. From what I've read, divorce is one of the most straightforward reasons for an appeal since it's such a clear change in financial circumstances. The key seems to be having all your documentation ready - divorce decree, current pay stubs, updated tax info, etc. Really hoping it works out for both of us! Keep us posted on how your appeal goes.