FAFSA denied aid due to living abroad - US citizens told we don't qualify?

This is 100% incorrect information from the financial aid office. US citizens living abroad absolutely qualify for federal financial aid through FAFSA. The Higher Education Act specifically addresses this. I went through this exact situation when my daughter attended UCLA while we were stationed in Germany. What you need to do: 1. Request a formal review with the financial aid office director (not just a counselor) 2. Cite the Federal Student Aid Handbook, specifically Volume 1, Chapter 2 which covers citizenship requirements (not residence requirements) 3. Submit your US tax returns again to demonstrate you maintain US tax home status 4. Provide documentation of your temporary foreign assignment Most financial aid offices rarely deal with expat families, so lower-level staff often misunderstand the rules. Don't take no for an answer - escalate immediately.

omg the SAME THING happened to my cousin last year!!!! they were in qatar for like 3 yrs and got denied at first. but they fought it and eventually got the aid. don't give up!!!! the financial aid offices are soooooo confused about international stuff.

Financial aid professional here. There's confusion between the university's institutional aid policies (which can have residency requirements) and federal financial aid eligibility (which is based on citizenship, not current address). To clarify: US citizens absolutely qualify for federal aid regardless of where they live, but individual colleges may have different policies for their own institutional scholarships and grants. It sounds like the university might be conflating these two things. You need to specifically ask them to clarify which type of aid they're denying - federal (Pell, direct loans, etc.) or institutional. If they're denying federal aid, they're incorrect and you need to escalate this immediately. Request a formal appeal and cite the Federal Student Aid Foreign School Handbook which explicitly addresses expatriate situations. Your SAI calculation should be processed the same regardless of your current address as long as you filed US taxes and completed the FAFSA correctly.

The entire financial aid system is BROKEN and this is just another example. They deliberately make these "mistakes" to save money, hoping families won't know their rights or fight back. I bet if you weren't persistent they'd just keep denying you what you're legally entitled to. My daughter went through similar nonsense last year (different scenario but same runaround). DON'T trust anything they say on the phone - get EVERYTHING in writing. And don't explain your situation to different people hoping for a better answer, because they'll use any inconsistencies against you. Record names, dates, and details of every conversation. The system is designed to wear you down!

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly? Sometimes going straight to the source is better than dealing with the university's office when it comes to eligibility questions. I had to do this for a complicated dependency override situation last year.

This EXACT situation happened to us while in Australia last year. The key is understanding what's happening with your SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation. When you have a foreign address, sometimes the system flags the application for manual review because it's looking for US-based cost of living adjustments. In our case, they had incorrectly applied a zero for the housing adjustment instead of using our actual housing costs converted to USD. After we appealed and had them manually recalculate our SAI using our converted Australian housing costs, our federal aid package was approved. The financial aid officer admitted they rarely process expatriate applications and weren't familiar with the proper procedure. Be persistent but polite. Ask specifically for someone who has experience with expatriate FAFSA applications.

maybe try calling ur congressman? my brothers roomate had fafsa issues and his mom called their state rep and suddenly everything got fixed real fast lol. worth a try maybe?

One more thing to check - make sure your FAFSA listed a US mailing address somewhere (like a relative's address) rather than only your foreign address. Some schools' systems have trouble processing FAFSA results without a US address on file, even though it's not technically required. This small detail caused huge problems for us when we were in Japan. Also, be aware that some aid counselors may be confusing in-state tuition eligibility (which often does require physical residency) with federal aid eligibility (which doesn't). These are completely separate issues, but I've seen them conflated repeatedly.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress right before tuition is due! As someone who just went through a similar situation with my daughter while we were living in the UK, I wanted to share what worked for us. The breakthrough came when I realized I needed to speak specifically to someone in the financial aid office who handles "unusual circumstances" or "professional judgment" cases - not the general intake counselors. When I called and asked to be transferred to someone who deals with expatriate or international student situations, I finally got connected to a supervisor who actually understood the rules. Here's what I'd recommend doing immediately: 1. Email the financial aid director (find their name on the university website) and request an urgent meeting 2. In your email, specifically state "US citizen eligibility for federal financial aid while residing abroad" 3. Mention that you're requesting a professional judgment review of your case 4. Ask them to provide in writing which specific federal regulation they believe makes you ineligible The key phrase that helped me was asking them to cite the specific CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) section that supports their denial. Most of the time, they can't because it doesn't exist for citizens living abroad temporarily. Don't give up - this is absolutely fixable! Michigan is a great school and they'll figure this out once you get to the right person.

I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! My family has been living in Dubai for two years and we're hitting the same roadblocks with our daughter's financial aid applications. What I've learned through this process is that you need to be incredibly specific about which type of aid is being denied. When schools say "financial aid," they often mean their institutional grants and scholarships (which can have residency requirements), not federal aid like Pell Grants and Direct Loans. Here's what's helped us so far: - Get everything in writing - no more phone calls - Ask specifically: "Are you denying federal Title IV aid or institutional aid?" - Request to speak with someone who handles "non-standard" or "special circumstances" cases - Keep emphasizing that you're US citizens who file US taxes The other thing that's been crucial is having our tax preparer write a letter confirming that we maintain US tax home status despite our foreign residence. Some schools seem more comfortable with this documentation. Stay strong - this is definitely solvable, just incredibly frustrating to navigate!

I'm a newcomer to this community but wanted to share what I learned when my family faced a similar situation last year while living in Tokyo. The key breakthrough for us was understanding that many financial aid offices have automated systems that flag foreign addresses for manual review, but the staff reviewing these cases often lack training on expatriate situations. What ultimately resolved our case was providing a "Certificate of Citizenship Abroad" from the US Embassy along with our standard FAFSA documentation. The embassy can provide this fairly quickly, and it seemed to carry more weight with the financial aid office than just our passports or tax returns alone. Also, I'd strongly recommend documenting every interaction you have going forward - date, time, person's name, and exactly what they told you. When we finally got our aid approved, the financial aid director admitted they had given us incorrect information multiple times and used our documentation to train their staff on expatriate cases. The stress is absolutely overwhelming when you're facing these deadlines, but based on everything I'm reading in this thread, you have a very strong case. US citizenship is the only requirement for federal aid eligibility - residence location is irrelevant according to federal law.

As a newcomer here, I'm reading through everyone's advice and feeling both hopeful and overwhelmed by how complex this situation is. I had no idea there were so many different types of aid and regulations involved! I'm curious - for those of you who successfully resolved similar situations, how long did the entire appeals process typically take? With fall tuition due in less than 3 months, I'm trying to understand if we're working with a realistic timeline or if we should also be exploring backup options like private loans or payment plans. Also, has anyone dealt with this specific issue at University of Michigan? I'm wondering if their financial aid office has experience with expatriate families or if this is genuinely new territory for them. Sometimes knowing the school's track record can help set expectations for how cooperative they're likely to be during the appeals process. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community is incredible and I'm so grateful to have found people who actually understand what we're going through!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! My family is in a very similar situation - we're US citizens living in London for my husband's work assignment, and we just got hit with the same "ineligible for financial aid due to foreign residence" response from our son's university. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both eye-opening and reassuring. I had no idea that financial aid offices frequently confuse citizenship requirements with residency requirements, or that there's such a distinction between federal aid and institutional aid eligibility. Based on what I'm learning from your collective wisdom, it sounds like the key is getting past the front-line staff who may not understand expatriate situations and escalating to someone with actual expertise in these cases. I'm planning to follow the advice several of you have shared about requesting a formal professional judgment review and asking them to cite the specific federal regulation that makes us ineligible. One question for those who've been through this - did any of you find it helpful to prepare a written summary of your situation beforehand, including relevant citations to federal regulations? I'm thinking it might be useful to have everything organized in one document rather than trying to explain everything verbally during what could be a stressful phone conversation. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive space for families dealing with these complex situations!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm reading through this thread with a mix of relief and frustration - relief that we're not alone in this situation, but frustration that so many expatriate families have to deal with these incorrect denials! My family is currently living in Dubai for my job, and we're anticipating starting the college application process for our daughter next year. After reading everyone's experiences here, I'm wondering if there are any proactive steps we can take NOW to avoid these issues entirely? For example, should we establish a US mailing address with relatives before we even submit the FAFSA? Would it be helpful to get documentation from our tax preparer ahead of time confirming our US tax home status? Or maybe contact the universities' financial aid offices early to identify who handles expatriate cases? I'm also curious - for those who successfully resolved these situations, did the schools end up updating their internal procedures or training their staff better to handle future expatriate applications? It seems like these "mistakes" keep happening repeatedly across different universities. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so openly. This information is invaluable for families like mine who want to be prepared rather than blindsided by these incorrect denials!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this thread! My family is facing the exact same situation - we're US citizens living in Vancouver for my spouse's work, and our daughter just received a similar denial from her university's financial aid office. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both validating and educational. I had no idea that so many expatriate families encounter these incorrect denials, or that there's such widespread confusion between citizenship and residency requirements among financial aid staff. What strikes me most is how consistent the successful resolution strategies are across different schools and situations. The pattern seems clear: get past front-line staff, escalate to someone with expertise in special circumstances, request everything in writing, and ask them to cite specific federal regulations supporting their denial. I'm planning to implement the advice shared here immediately - especially requesting a formal professional judgment review and asking specifically whether they're denying federal Title IV aid or institutional aid. The distinction between these two types of aid seems to be where much of the confusion originates. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and informative community. It's reassuring to know that these situations are resolvable with persistence and the right approach. I'll keep everyone updated on our progress, and hopefully our experience can help other families facing similar challenges!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so sorry you're going through this stressful situation, but I'm encouraged by all the excellent advice being shared here! I wanted to add one more resource that might help - when I was dealing with a similar federal aid confusion last year, I found the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website has a specific section on "Citizenship and Eligibility" that clearly states US citizens are eligible regardless of where they live. Having that official webpage printed out and ready to reference during your conversations with the financial aid office can be really powerful. Also, based on what everyone is sharing about getting things in writing, you might want to follow up your phone conversations with an email summarizing what was discussed and asking for written confirmation of their position. Something like "Per our conversation today, you stated that US citizens living abroad are ineligible for federal financial aid. Please confirm this in writing and provide the federal regulation that supports this determination." The pattern I'm seeing in all these success stories is that once schools are forced to actually research and document their position, they quickly realize they're wrong. You've got this - Michigan will absolutely reverse this decision once you get to the right person!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm absolutely stunned by how helpful and comprehensive all the advice in this thread has been! Reading through everyone's experiences has transformed what initially seemed like an impossible situation into a clear action plan. I'm particularly struck by how many families have faced nearly identical incorrect denials, yet each story shows that persistence and the right approach leads to successful resolution. The consistency of the strategies that work - escalating to experienced staff, requesting written clarification between federal vs institutional aid, asking for specific CFR citations, and documenting everything - gives me real confidence that this is absolutely solvable. What I find most valuable is how everyone has shared not just what worked, but the specific language and approaches to use. Having phrases like "professional judgment review," "Title IV federal aid eligibility," and "cite the specific federal regulation" ready to go will be game-changing when I contact Michigan tomorrow. To the original poster - you've got an incredible arsenal of proven strategies now, and it's clear from every success story shared here that Michigan will reverse this decision once you get to someone who actually understands expatriate financial aid rules. US citizenship is the only requirement that matters for federal aid, period. Thank you all for creating such an supportive and knowledgeable community. I'll definitely update everyone on how these strategies work in practice!