FAFSA loans missing from daughter's financial aid package - normal or incomplete?

This is totally normal! Most schools show scholarships and grants in their initial aid package, and then the federal loans appear after you actually accept the aid offer and complete loan counseling. Your son has to actively accept the loans in most cases - they're not automatically applied even if he qualifies. Check for a section in the portal called something like "Accept/Decline Awards" or "Financial Aid Options" where there might be pending items or additional steps.

DONT TRUST THE PORTAL!!!! When my daughter started college last fall, the portal showed one amount, the email showed a different amount, and then when classes started they suddenly "discovered" her SEOG grant wasn't actually available anymore!!!! ALWAYS CALL AND GET CONFIRMATION!!!! These financial aid offices are total disaster zones.

Have u checked if theres a To-Do list in the portal? My kid had to fill out entrance counseling and sign a master promissory note before the loans showed up. Also diff schools do things diff ways... some automatically include the loans in the package and others make you request them separately.

This varies by institution, but generally there are two possibilities: 1. Some schools only display grants and scholarships in the initial package, requiring students to actively request loans through a separate process. This is becoming more common as a debt-reduction strategy. 2. Your aid package may still be incomplete. Many schools process scholarships first, then add federal loans in a second phase. I recommend checking for any outstanding requirements in your son's portal. There's often a checklist or "Required Documents" section. Your son may need to complete entrance counseling and a Master Promissory Note (MPN) before loans appear as available options. Definitely call the financial aid office for clarification, but this doesn't sound unusual based on standard processing timelines.

Try calling the financial aid office ASAP. When I tried calling Northwestern's financial aid office last month for a similar issue, I was on hold for HOURS before giving up. I eventually used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to hold my place in line and they called me back when an agent was available. Saved me so much time! You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Anyway, when I finally spoke to someone, they told me loans don't automatically show up in their aid packages - you have to specifically complete a separate loan request form after accepting the initial award. Your situation sounds exactly like what I experienced.

random q but is ur son a freshman? cuz the loan limits r different by year. freshman=$5,500, sophomore=$6,500, junior/senior=$7,500. just making sure ur expecting the right amounts

When my daughter got her package from UNC last year, we had the same confusion! Called in and they explained that federal loans aren't automatically added to the initial package - we had to sign in and specifically request them after accepting the scholarships. It's apparently a strategy to reduce student borrowing by making loans an opt-in choice rather than including them as part of the initial offer. Honestly, I think it's smart since it makes students think carefully about whether they actually need the loans.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same confusion last year with my daughter! Northwestern State definitely does things differently - they show merit aid first, then you have to actively request federal loans through their portal after accepting the initial package. It's not that your aid is incomplete, it's just their process. Look for something like "Request Additional Aid" or "Loan Options" in the student portal after you accept the scholarship offer. The loans won't automatically appear until you complete that step. Don't stress - this is totally normal for their system! Your son should be eligible for the freshman loan limits ($5,500 total) once you go through the proper channels.