FAFSA special circumstances appeal deadline conflicts with MSU commitment date - anyone else facing this?

omg same boat!! my dad took a HUGE pay cut last year and we need the appeal to make MSU work. they told me the same thing about june 1. makes no sense how theyre making us decide before showing us what we'll actually have to pay.

I went through this exact situation with my daughter last year. What you need to do is submit your deposit to hold your spot (I know, it's not ideal) AND simultaneously submit your appeal paperwork even though they won't review it until June. Make sure you clearly document the change in circumstances with all supporting paperwork (termination letter, unemployment benefits statement, etc). Most schools do this on purpose - they know if they wait until after the deposit deadline, you're more likely to stay committed even if the appeal doesn't give you as much aid as you hoped. But don't worry too much - if your appeal is legitimate, MSU actually has a pretty good track record of adjusting aid packages.

This is how all colleges operate now with special circumstances appeals. They know exactly what they're doing - making you commit before giving you the final numbers. My son went through this with 3 different schools last year. What you CAN do is commit to MSU but also commit to a backup school if you can afford the multiple deposits. Then when the appeal decisions come through, you make your final choice. You lose a deposit but protect yourself from being stuck somewhere unaffordable.

just went thru this!!! we had to put down $300 deposit at MSU last yr for my son then wait til JULY (!!!) to hear back on our appeal. we got approved but only for like $2100 more which barely helped tbh. still going there but taking on more debt than we wanted. good luck!!

Financial aid administrator here (not at MSU). This timing issue is unfortunately common at many institutions. A few points that might help: 1. The appeal timeline is affected by staffing limitations - schools are processing thousands of FAFSA applications during this period while also handling baseline operations. 2. MSU's special circumstances appeal process is specifically designed to address situations like yours (job loss, income reduction, medical expenses) that occurred after filing the FAFSA. 3. You can (and should) submit all your documentation now, even if they won't review until June. Get it in their system. 4. If your appeal is approved, the additional aid will be retroactively applied to your package, which can mean a reduced bill when you actually enroll. 5. Consider contacting the admissions office separately from financial aid. Sometimes they can provide additional insight or assistance with timing issues.

I tried calling MSU financial aid office for weeks about a similar issue last year and NEVER got through - constant busy signals or being on hold forever then disconnected. Finally I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to them and literally got connected to a rep in 10 minutes after struggling for weeks on my own. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The financial aid person I talked to actually gave me a direct email for the special circumstances team that wasn't listed on the website, which helped speed things up for us. Might be worth trying if you're hitting walls with the regular phone number.

THEY ARE DELIBERATELY DOING THIS TO TRAP STUDENTS!! It's not just MSU - all colleges do this because they know once you put down the deposit you're less likely to walk away! The entire system is rigged against families who need financial help. We went through this last year and they only gave us a pathetic $1,800 adjustment after we PROVED my husband's business income dropped by 40%!! The special circumstances appeal is basically a joke and doesn't actually fix anything!!

Important point - if MSU is your first choice but you're worried about the financial uncertainty, you should contact your second-choice school and explain the situation. Many second-choice schools will extend their decision deadline if you explain you're waiting on a financial aid appeal from another institution. This gives you more flexibility without losing all your options.

Something nobody has mentioned yet - if MSU doesn't come through with enough aid after the appeal, you can still withdraw and request a deposit refund under hardship circumstances. It's not guaranteed but I've seen it work. Just document EVERYTHING from day one - every call, email, who you spoke with. That paper trail becomes really important if you need to make a case later.

I'm in a similar situation but with a twist - my parents are divorced and my dad (non-custodial parent) just got laid off in January. The CSS Profile already captured his income but now he has zero income and can't help with college costs at all. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with appeals involving non-custodial parent job loss? MSU uses CSS so I'm hoping they'll consider this, but I'm worried it might be even more complicated since it's not the custodial parent's income that changed. The timing issue is the same though - we need to know before May 1st but they won't review until after June 1st. It's so stressful!