FAFSA financial aid package suddenly reduced for 2024-2025 - no change in circumstances

This happened to my son last year. The reduction was due to a verification issue they never notified us about. When I finally got through to someone at financial aid, they said they had requested additional documentation via a notification that went to his student portal (not email). Check BOTH her student portal and her SAI calculation on studentaid.gov to see if there are any pending items or verification requests. The reduction might be automatic if they're waiting for something she never knew to provide.

omg the same thing just happnd to my son!! his pell grant got cut by like $2300 and we are FREAKING OUT. didnt get any emails or anything until after it was already changed. this new FAFSA system is a MESS!!

This is why I tell everyone to screenshot EVERYTHING related to FAFSA and save all emails. The system is completely unreliable. When my daughter's aid was reduced last semester, they claimed she never submitted a required form (she did, we had proof). You need to call Financial Aid immediately, not just email. Emails can take weeks to get responses.

I work in a college financial aid office. The most common reasons for sudden aid reductions this year include: 1. Verification status changes (most common) 2. Updates to the SAI calculation after additional data is received 3. Changes in enrollment status (full-time to part-time) 4. Receipt of outside scholarships that affect need-based aid 5. Professional judgment revisions Definitely check her student portal as others suggested. Also, federal regulations require schools to give written notice of aid changes, but unfortunately many schools consider posting to the student portal as sufficient "written notice" rather than sending emails.

I had to deal with this exact situation and couldn't get through to anyone at financial aid for DAYS. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a live FAFSA agent who explained what happened with my daughter's reduced aid. It basically connects you directly to a Federal Student Aid agent without the endless hold times. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Completely worth it to get answers directly from FSA rather than waiting weeks for the school's financial aid office to respond.

There's been a HUGE issue with mid-year aid reductions this cycle because of the FAFSA Simplification Act implementation. The Department of Education has been sending updated SAI calculations to schools based on verification or corrections, and schools are required to adjust aid accordingly. It's causing chaos everywhere. Some things to try: 1. Check if your daughter's SAI number changed on studentaid.gov 2. See if any family members accessed student aid accounts (could trigger a review) 3. Check if tax information was imported correctly 4. Ask specifically about "conflicting information" flags Also request an appeal based on no change in circumstances if necessary.

my brothers aid got cut too!! the financial aid people said it was cuz of "conflicting information" between what was on fafsa and what was on his css profile. check if ur daughter did both and if the income info matches exactly!!!

Update to my earlier comment - just to close the loop on this. Once you figure out why the reduction happened, you have the right to appeal it. Request a professional judgment review if there's been no actual change in your circumstances. Schools have discretion to reinstate aid if you can document that the reduction was due to a technical issue or misunderstanding. Be persistent and document EVERYTHING.

Welcome to the community! I'm so sorry you're dealing with this stress right before the semester starts. This thread has been incredibly helpful - I'm dealing with a similar situation where my son's aid was reduced by $1,800 with no explanation. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like checking the student portal for verification requests and comparing FAFSA/CSS Profile information are the first steps. Has anyone had success with the appeal process mentioned by Luca? I'm wondering how long those typically take to process since we're running out of time before tuition is due.

Welcome to the community! I'm a newcomer here but dealing with a very similar situation - my daughter's Pell Grant was suddenly reduced by $2,100 last week with absolutely no explanation. Reading through this thread has been so helpful, especially the advice about checking the student portal for verification requests (which seems to be a common culprit). I'm also going to try that Claimyr service that Aisha mentioned since I've been on hold with FSA for hours with no luck. It's really reassuring to know we're not alone in this - the new FAFSA system really seems to have created chaos for so many families. Has anyone found that certain times of day are better for getting through to financial aid offices? I'm wondering if calling first thing in the morning might be more successful than afternoons.