Why do unmotivated students get $15K in FAFSA aid while my determined daughter gets nothing?

The FAFSA system isn't about academic merit or a student's desire to attend college - it's purely needs-based and calculated using the Student Aid Index (SAI). Those families likely had significantly lower income, more dependents, fewer assets, or special circumstances that qualified them for more aid. Your family's financial situation, regardless of how hard your daughter works, is what determines the aid amount. Merit-based aid comes from individual schools, not FAFSA directly. A few things you can do: 1. Check if your SAI calculation is correct 2. Look into CSS Profile schools that consider more nuanced financial factors 3. Have your daughter apply for private scholarships based on her academic achievements 4. Contact the financial aid offices at her accepted schools to discuss her situation

omg yes!!! same exact thing happened with my son last year!!!! he got barely 5k and his friend who literally FAILED chemistry twice got full ride practically?? makes zero sense 🤬 the whole system is rigged

I had the exact same experience with the Federal Student Aid helpline - impossible to reach anyone! After wasting days trying to get through about my daughter's verification issue, I discovered a service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual FSA agent in under 30 minutes. Saved my sanity! They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and their website is claimyr.com. The agent I spoke with was able to explain why our SAI was calculated the way it was and suggested documentation we could submit for reconsideration.

Your frustration is understandable, but I want to clarify something important about how financial aid works. There are two completely separate types of aid: 1. Need-based aid (FAFSA, Pell Grants) - based ONLY on financial circumstances 2. Merit-based aid (scholarships) - based on grades, extracurriculars, essays The students receiving $15K from FAFSA likely come from families with lower income, more dependents in college, fewer assets, or special financial circumstances. Their academic motivation is irrelevant to this calculation. Your daughter's 3.8 GPA is impressive and deserves recognition, but that comes through merit scholarships from individual schools, not through FAFSA. Has she applied for institutional scholarships at each school? Many universities have separate scholarship applications.

wait am i the only one confused by the 15k number?? that seems really high for just fafsa aid. are u sure those other parents weren't talking about their total financial aid package? like including university scholarships too? cuz max pell grant is only like 7k something

listen the FAFSA is totally broken i had to claim bankruptcy 3 years ago and they STILL say my expected family contribution is $8000 like where am i supposed to get that kind of money???? my daughter has to work full time just to afford books its a joke

For students with strong academic records like your daughter, I'd recommend focusing on these action items: 1. Appeal your financial aid package at each school. Contact their financial aid offices directly and explain your situation, especially if there are special circumstances not captured on the FAFSA. 2. Apply for private scholarships. With a 3.8 GPA, she should qualify for many. Check Fastweb.com, Scholarships.com, and your local community foundations. 3. Look into schools with generous merit aid programs. Some universities offer automatic scholarships based on GPA and test scores. 4. Consider starting at a community college to complete general education requirements at a lower cost, then transfer. The disconnect between motivation and aid is frustrating, but focusing on merit-based opportunities will likely yield better results than trying to change how the FAFSA works.

My friend's kid got more money cause they have 4 children and make like no money at all. It's all about how much the govt thinks you can pay (SAI) NOT about grades at all. It's super unfair but that's how it works

One important point that hasn't been mentioned: check if your daughter's FAFSA has been selected for verification. About 30% of applications get flagged, and if you don't complete the verification process, your aid won't be processed properly. Also, make sure you've listed all schools she's applying to on the FAFSA. If your financial situation has changed significantly since the tax year used for FAFSA (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), you can request a professional judgment review from each school's financial aid office.

I completely understand your frustration! As a newcomer here, I've been reading through all these responses and they're really eye-opening. I had no idea that FAFSA was purely need-based rather than merit-based. My own daughter is a junior with similar grades to yours, and I was assuming her hard work would automatically translate to more financial aid. Now I realize we need to be looking at two completely separate tracks - the FAFSA for need-based aid and scholarships for merit-based aid. It sounds like you're already taking action on both fronts based on the advice here, which is great! The suggestion about documenting your reduced work hours due to health issues for the professional judgment review could really make a difference. Hang in there - your daughter's achievements will pay off, just maybe not through the avenue you originally expected.

As another newcomer to this community, I'm finding this discussion incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my son who's a senior - great grades but our FAFSA aid is minimal. Reading through all these responses has been like a crash course in financial aid that I wish I'd taken years ago. The clarification about the $15K likely being total aid packages (not just FAFSA) really puts things in perspective. I'm definitely going to look into that Claimyr service someone mentioned since I've also been stuck in phone tree hell trying to reach FSA. And the advice about appealing with documentation of changed circumstances gives me hope - my husband's hours were cut last year but that won't show up on our taxes until next year. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and knowledge!