FAFSA for 5th year student after medical leave - still eligible?

Yes, absolutely file the FAFSA for 2025-2026! The federal limit for undergraduate aid is actually based on 600% Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU), which translates to roughly 6 years of full-time enrollment for bachelor's programs. Medical leaves typically don't count against this limit since she wasn't receiving aid during that time. Make sure you note on any supplemental forms that she took a medical leave - many schools have specific processes for students returning from medical leave and may have additional institutional aid available.

My son went thru the exact same thing!!! Took medical leave his junior year and ended up needing 5 1/2 years total. YES file the FAFSA!!!! We got the same amount of aid for year 5 as all previous years. The only thing that changed for us was some of his scholarship $ from the school ran out after 4 years so double check w the fin aid office about those.

I work in financial aid at a university. Yes, your daughter should absolutely complete the FAFSA for the 2025-2026 year. The federal limit for undergraduate Pell Grant eligibility is 600% of Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU), which equals about 6 years of full-time enrollment. For federal loans, dependent undergrads can borrow up to $31,000 total for their entire undergraduate education. Medical leave usually doesn't count against these limits if she wasn't enrolled and receiving aid during that time. However, I would recommend: 1. Contact her school's financial aid office directly about their policies for students returning from medical leave 2. Ask if there are any special institutional funds available for her situation 3. Check whether any previous scholarships have year limits 4. Complete the FAFSA as early as possible (opens October 1st) The medical leave itself shouldn't negatively impact her FAFSA eligibility as long as she's meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements when she returns.

@spiralmindgirl No, for financial aid purposes, mental health leaves and physical health leaves are treated the same way. Both fall under the umbrella of medical leaves of absence. The important thing is that the leave was properly documented with your school according to their procedures.

CAREFUL about that satisfactory academic progress thing! my friend had medical leave and thought everything was fine but failed to complete enough credits in her final term before the leave (fell below 67% completion ratio for the term) and it took forever to get it sorted with an SAP appeal when she went back!!

When my nephew was trying to reach the Federal Student Aid office to discuss his unusual situation (summer programs pushing him over credit limits), he kept getting disconnected or waiting hours. He ended up using Claimyr and got through in about 20 minutes. Just sharing because if you need to discuss your specific situation with an FSA agent, it might save you time. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and their site is claimyr.com. It was actually really helpful for getting specific answers about his unusual enrollment pattern.

not to make this more complicated BUT... double check if her school counts her as a 5th year student now because some schools have different financial aid policies for students beyond 8 semesters!! my cousin got less institutional aid (not federal) in year 5 even tho she had medical issues too :

To clarify about the medical documentation - the FAFSA itself doesn't have any place to attach or explain medical circumstances. However, you should: 1. Make sure her medical leave is properly documented with her university 2. After submitting the FAFSA, contact her school's financial aid office directly to explain the situation 3. If she needs to submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal (which might be needed if the medical issue affected her completion rate), then you'd provide medical documentation at that point Each school handles the specific process differently, but all work within the same federal guidelines for FAFSA eligibility.

@OP we didn't need to provide any medical docs to FAFSA directly - just to the school for their records. The school already had everything on file from when he took the leave, so we just had to remind the fin aid office about his situation when we asked about 5th year scholarships.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who's navigating this right now! My daughter is also in her 5th year after taking a medical leave, and we've found that staying in close communication with the financial aid office has been key. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - some schools have "return from leave" checklists that include financial aid steps, so definitely ask if your daughter's school has one of those. It helped us make sure we didn't miss any deadlines or requirements. Also, if her SAI was around 4500 before, that should put her in a good position for continued Pell Grant eligibility assuming your family's financial situation hasn't changed dramatically. The medical leave actually worked in our favor because it "paused" her progress toward the lifetime limits everyone mentioned. Hang in there - it's stressful but totally manageable with the right information!