FAFSA delays through April 2025 - How are you covering the remaining balance?

We're in the same boat with my son at UMass. His financial aid counselor told us they're massively behind schedule. For the remaining balance, we're doing a combination approach: 1) Payment plan through the school (usually 4-5 installments per semester), 2) Parent PLUS loan for about half the remainder, and 3) pulling from our emergency savings for the rest. One thing to consider - once your actual SAI comes through, your daughter might qualify for more aid than you're expecting. The preliminary calculators are often less favorable than the final determination. Also check if her school offers any installment payment plans to break up the balance into monthly payments instead of one lump sum.

thsi whole fafsa thing is a NIGHTMARE!!!! my kid applied in december and we STILL dont have the results back. the school keeps saying "be patient" but tuition is due in like 2 months???? how r we supposed to plan??? i'm so done with this bs system

Financial aid counselor here (not at your school). This delay is happening nationwide and it's as frustrating for us as it is for families. The 2025-2026 FAFSA rollout has been the worst I've seen in my 12 years in this field. Regarding your funding gap: Before turning to private loans, explore these options in this order: 1. Ask about institutional payment plans (usually 4-5 payments per semester with minimal fees) 2. Explore Parent PLUS loans - current interest rate is 7.9% but they have better protections than private loans 3. Check if your state has a 529 plan loan option 4. Only after exhausting these, consider private loans (and shop around - rates vary wildly) Also, make sure to appeal your aid package once it arrives if you have any special circumstances not reflected in your FAFSA (job loss, medical expenses, supporting other family members, etc.). Many schools have additional institutional funds they can provide through the appeal process.

When my daughter started college last year, we covered the gap with a combination of her working part-time (about 12hrs/week in the campus bookstore) and we took out a home equity line of credit instead of private student loans because the interest rate was way better. Just another option to consider if you own your home! The FAFSA delays are insane this year though. So much worse than when my oldest went through the process.

I've been trying to call Federal Student Aid for THREE WEEKS to check on my son's FAFSA status and keep getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me through to an actual human at FSA in about 20 minutes. They were able to tell me exactly what was happening with our application and what we needed to fix. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ As for covering the gap, we're using a Parent PLUS loan. Not ideal with the interest rates, but we need the flexibility of the federal repayment options.

my nephews at georgia tech and they made him pay the housing deposit before his fafsa even came back!! like how r families supposed to know if they can even afford it?? this whole system is broke

One thing no one has mentioned: check with your employer! My company offers a tuition benefit that helps with dependent children's education expenses. It's not huge (covers about $2,000/year), but every bit helps. Some companies also have low-interest education loan programs for employees. Worth asking your HR department!

i'm a student who just went through this mess last year. don't forget to look for additional scholarships outside your school! i found about $2500 from local organizations and random places like my dad's credit union and my mom's professional association. even small scholarships add up.

Another important point: if your daughter's school has a financial aid priority deadline that's passed, make sure you contact them directly. Many schools are being flexible with their internal deadlines because of the FAFSA delays, but you need to be proactive in communicating with them. Don't just assume they'll automatically consider her for all available aid if the application comes in late due to FAFSA processing issues.