FAFSA delays forcing me to calculate college costs myself - anyone else making their own financial plans?

Same boat here! Tired of refreshing that stupid processing screen. Started making our own plans too. Smart move with the health insurance savings!

This is actually a really smart approach. The school's net price calculator is usually pretty accurate, and it's good financial planning to prepare for both best and worst-case scenarios. One recommendation: also check if your son's school has any emergency grants or supplemental scholarships with later deadlines - some schools hold back 10-15% of their aid for students who face unexpected shortfalls after FAFSA results come in.

your being way to proactive lol. just wait for the SAI and then figure stuff out. maybe youll get more money than you think!!

You're absolutely right to take this approach. I'm a financial aid counselor, and we're telling all our families to do exactly what you're doing. Create your own financial plan based on the published Cost of Attendance minus any confirmed scholarships. Pro tip: Make sure you're differentiating between grants (free money) and loans when you do your calculations. Some schools include loans in their "financial aid package" which can be misleading. And don't forget to account for the loan origination fees on Parent PLUS loans - they take about 4% off the top.

I spent FOUR HOURS on hold trying to talk to someone at Federal Student Aid about our delayed application. My son's deposit is due in 2 weeks and we STILL don't have our aid package! Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ At least I found out our application is just stuck in verification, not lost. The agent said to expect it in another 10 business days. Now I can plan accordingly.

I know it's frustrating, but please remember that the financial aid officers at your son's school are probably just as frustrated as you are. The FAFSA delays this year are unprecedented because of the FAFSA Simplification Act changes. Your approach is exactly right though - planning for multiple scenarios is smart. One thing to watch for: some schools are offering extensions on their deposit deadlines specifically because of these FAFSA delays. Have you asked if that's an option?

We did something similar, but I made a HUGE mistake in my calculations! I forgot that when looking at the Cost of Attendance, room & board was already included, so I accidentally double-counted it by adding it again. Made my daughter panic for nothing when I told her we were short $14,000. Triple-check your math!!!

i went through this EXACT situation last year. ended up taking out private loans with sallie mae because the parent plus loan wasnt enough. now im paying 11.2% interest and its killing me. dont do what i did. cut costs where u can like ur doing. wish id been as smart as u.

One more suggestion that might help: Many schools have payment plans that let you spread the cost over 10-12 months instead of paying each semester in full. This can reduce the need for loans and give you more flexibility. The enrollment fee is usually around $50-75, which is WAY less than loan interest. Just ask the student accounts office about it - it's not always well advertised.