FAFSA delay changed financial package - can I switch college commitment without penalty?

my son did this EXACT thing last year! dont stress its totaly fine. just email the 1st school and tell em ur withdrawing, then immediatly accept the 2nd one. we didnt even wait for the 1st school to respond lol. they cant do anything to u once u tell them ur not coming anyways

This is actually a common situation, especially with the FAFSA delays over the past couple years affecting financial aid timing. The key steps: 1. Have your daughter email Lakeside's admissions office AND financial aid office formally withdrawing her intent to enroll 2. Request a confirmation email of her withdrawal (this is your documentation) 3. Once the withdrawal email is sent, she can immediately commit to Mountainview Technically, she's not double-committed because she's ended her commitment to the first school. Most colleges understand this situation, especially when significant financial aid differences are involved. Just be prepared to lose the deposit at Lakeside - that's almost certainly non-refundable.

WAIT! Before you do anything, call Lakeside's financial aid office and see if they'll match or come closer to Mountainview's offer!! My daughter got an extra $8k per year from her first choice just by showing them the competing offer. The worst they can say is no, and then you withdraw. But at least TRY to negotiate first!!!

we been dealing w/ fafsa nightmares all yr!! took 3 MONTHS for our info to process & by then my sons deposit was already due at first school. wish the financial aid came thru earlier but thats not how it works these days :( the school letting u switch this late is actually really nice, some wouldnt even consider accepting a student now

I work in college admissions and can provide some clarity. The May 1 "National Decision Day" and its rules are part of a voluntary agreement among participating colleges, not a legally binding situation. While it's considered unethical for students to maintain multiple deposits, your situation is different since you're withdrawing from one before accepting another. However, understand: 1) The first deposit is almost certainly non-refundable 2) Your daughter should email her withdrawal ASAP and be very clear 3) Some housing and course registration options at the new school may be limited due to the late change As others suggested, trying to negotiate with the first school using the competing offer is a good initial step.

So this is related but a little off-topic...does anyone know if the FAFSA will be this delayed again for next year (2025-2026)? My younger daughter will be applying then and I'm worried about going through this whole timeline disaster again....

I've been trying to reach Federal Student Aid for THREE WEEKS about our delayed FAFSA processing and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person at FSA in about 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Not sure if this would help with your specific situation now that your FAFSA finally processed, but sharing in case others are still struggling with delays or issues.

Just wanted to update you - we were in a similar situation last year, and my son did successfully switch schools after the deposit deadline. BUT - because he switched so late, he got stuck with pretty terrible housing options (only rooms left were in the oldest dorm with no A/C). So if your daughter does switch, tell her to IMMEDIATELY contact housing at Mountainview to get on whatever list they have!

One more piece of advice - make sure to carefully read through Mountainview's financial aid package and verify exactly what's being offered. Sometimes packages look better at first glance but contain more loans versus grants. Also check if any scholarships are renewable or one-time, and what GPA she needs to maintain. I've seen students switch schools for financial reasons only to discover hidden costs or conditions they didn't notice.

btw just wondering how long did it take for lakeside to give u their financial aid offer after the fafsa finally processed? my daughters still waiting on 2 schools and its been like 10 days since her fafsa went thru

I'm actually going through something very similar right now! My son's FAFSA was delayed until just last week, and we're now comparing offers that came in way after the May 1 deadline. The stress is real! Before making any decisions, I'd definitely recommend calling Lakeside's financial aid office first like Kennedy suggested. We tried this approach with my son's first choice school and while they couldn't match the competing offer completely, they did increase his aid by $3,500/year which made the decision easier. If you do end up switching, just make sure to get everything in writing - both the withdrawal confirmation from Lakeside and the acceptance confirmation from Mountainview. The whole FAFSA delay situation has been such a nightmare for so many families this year, but schools seem to be more understanding about late changes because of it. Good luck with whatever you decide! That $14k/year difference is definitely worth pursuing.

This situation is exactly why the FAFSA delays have been so frustrating for families this year! You're definitely not alone - I've seen so many posts about people having to make decisions with incomplete financial information. A few thoughts from someone who went through college applications with my daughter last year (pre-FAFSA disaster): 1. Definitely try the negotiation route first as others mentioned - bring Mountainview's offer to Lakeside and see if they can bridge some of that gap 2. If you do switch, make sure your daughter understands she'll likely be at the back of the line for housing, meal plans, orientation sessions, and course registration 3. $14k/year is $56k over four years - that's life-changing money and worth the hassle of switching even if it's stressful right now One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure to check if there are any additional fees or requirements at Mountainview that weren't included in their initial offer. Sometimes schools will have mandatory fees, technology costs, or program-specific expenses that don't show up in the basic financial aid package. You're being a great advocate for your daughter by pursuing this. The whole system is broken right now, but you're working within it to get the best outcome for your family!