FAFSA concerns if university closes mid-year - how to prepare for transfer without double enrollment fees?

I worked in financial aid for 12 years, and unfortunately saw this scenario play out a few times. The good news is that you've already done the most important first step by listing multiple colleges on the FAFSA. Here's what you need to know: 1. Getting accepted to a school doesn't automatically enroll your daughter or trigger charges 2. You'll typically need to pay an enrollment deposit to secure her spot, which is when you're financially committing 3. Most colleges have deposit deadlines around May 1st for fall enrollment 4. If her current school announces closure mid-semester, federal regulations require them to create teach-out plans or transfer agreements My recommendation: Apply to backup schools now, review aid packages when they arrive (usually March-April), but don't pay any deposits until you have clarity about her current school's status. Many schools will also refund deposits if you explain the situation.

my brother went thru this exact thing last yr when his art school in philly started cutting programs. ended up having to transfer mid-semester and it was a NIGHTMARE with finaid!!! make sure u keep copies of EVERYTHING cause the closing school messed up all his transcripts and aid info. took like 5 months to get it sorted and he almost lost his pell grant

Isn't there some kind of process for closing schools to transfer your financial aid packages automatically? I thought I read that somewhere on the studentaid.gov site...

When I was going through the application process for this year I learned that you can actually add school codes to your FAFSA after submitting it too. So even if you missed a potential backup school initially, you can still add them later through your studentaid.gov account. Just go to the FAFSA form section and click "Make FAFSA Corrections" - might be useful to know in case you identify more backup options later.

When my son's university was having financial troubles (ended up merging with another college), I spent WEEKS trying to get clear answers from FSA about how his aid would transfer. The phone lines were constantly busy and I'd get disconnected after waiting for hours. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual FSA agent who explained everything. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Solved so many headaches and the agent was able to make notes in his file about the potential transfer situation.

This is a complex situation that unfortunately is becoming more common. I'd recommend taking these specific steps: 1. Contact the financial aid offices at your backup schools NOW and explain the situation. Ask specifically about their policy for transferring students from closing institutions. 2. Request a formal statement from your daughter's current college about their financial status and continuation plans. Having this in writing can help with appeals at other schools if needed. 3. Review her current financial aid package to identify which elements are federal (will transfer) versus institutional (won't transfer). 4. Calculate her Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status, as this will affect aid eligibility at a new school. 5. If the school does announce closure, immediately update her FAFSA and contact the FSA office to report the closure. As for your specific question about double enrollment - accepting an admissions offer is not the same as enrolling. You can accept multiple offers, but enrollment typically happens when you register for classes and/or pay the enrollment deposit. Most schools have deposit refund policies, especially for exceptional circumstances.

ur overthinking this!! just apply everywhere and decide later. my roomate did this and got like 6 acceptance letters and just picked the one with best $$$$ in april. no big deal!

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I've made a list of action items based on your advice: 1. Contact backup schools' financial aid offices to explain our situation 2. Get documentation from current school about their status 3. Look into transfer scholarship options at backup schools 4. Save copies of all current financial aid documents and transcripts 5. Check for deposit refund policies at all potential schools I feel much more prepared now to help my daughter navigate this uncertainty. Really appreciate all the guidance!