Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this exact situation last year! My son had a joint account with me that he'd been putting his work earnings into since he was 17. After reading through all the advice here and consulting with our school's financial aid office, we reported it as student assets since the money was clearly his from employment. Yes, it did impact our SAI more than if it had been parent assets, but we felt it was the most honest way to report it. One thing I'd add to all the great advice here - if your son's college has a financial aid office that does pre-filing consultations, definitely take advantage of that! Ours was super helpful in walking through these kinds of ownership questions before we submitted the FAFSA. Much better to get clarity upfront than deal with corrections later. The laptop/college expenses strategy mentioned by others really does work well - we had our son buy his required laptop and textbooks for spring semester before filing, which legitimately reduced his reportable assets. Just make sure whatever you buy is something he actually needs for school!

As a parent who just went through this process with my oldest, I want to emphasize something that hasn't been mentioned much - document EVERYTHING now! Take screenshots of your son's pay stubs showing deposits, bank statements showing the source of funds, anything that proves the money came from his employment. I learned this the hard way when my daughter got selected for verification and we had to scramble to find proof of where her savings came from. The financial aid office was very understanding, but having that documentation ready from the start would have saved us a lot of stress. Also, one practical tip: if you do decide to remove yourself from the accounts before filing, give it at least 30 days. Some schools flag recent account changes as potentially suspicious during verification. It's not that you're doing anything wrong, but it just makes the process smoother if there's a clear paper trail showing the account ownership history. The student asset assessment rate is definitely frustrating, but remember that having savings shows financial responsibility and many schools consider that a positive factor in their overall aid decisions, even if it does impact the initial SAI calculation.

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently facing the exact same "Access Denied" error on studentaid.gov and was honestly starting to panic about missing my school's financial aid deadline. Reading through Miranda's journey from crisis to resolution, along with all the detailed troubleshooting steps everyone provided, has given me so much hope and a clear action plan. The consensus around the 24-hour waiting period + Microsoft Edge + different network connection seems to be the winning formula based on multiple success stories here. What really stands out to me is how this community came together with both technical expertise and genuine emotional support during such a stressful time. The insider knowledge from the financial aid office worker about IP blocking was particularly eye-opening - I had no idea that repeated login attempts could trigger this issue! I'm definitely going to try the proven solutions starting with that 24-hour cooling off period, even though waiting feels counterintuitive when you're stressed about deadlines. This thread is going straight into my bookmarks as the ultimate FAFSA troubleshooting resource. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and took the time to follow up with what actually worked - this is exactly the kind of peer support that makes navigating financial aid feel manageable instead of impossible!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how amazing it is to see this kind of collaborative problem-solving in action! I'm currently a college freshman who went through my own FAFSA nightmare last year (different error, but equally stressful), and this thread brings back so many memories of that panic when technical issues threaten your financial aid deadlines. What really impresses me is how this discussion evolved from Miranda's initial crisis into this comprehensive troubleshooting masterclass that's going to help students for years to come. The winning combination everyone identified - 24-hour waiting period + Microsoft Edge + different network connection - is pure gold, and the insider knowledge about IP blocking from the financial aid office worker is the kind of information you just can't find in official help guides. For any future students reading this: definitely save this entire thread as your emergency FAFSA resource. The peer support and real-world solutions shared here are infinitely more valuable than generic troubleshooting steps. Miranda, huge congratulations on making your deadline - your follow-up with the successful solution is going to save so many other students from the same stress you experienced!

Hey! I'm new to this community but wanted to chime in because I work as a peer advisor at my college's financial aid office and see this exact situation probably 5-6 times every semester. You're definitely not alone in making this mistake! Everyone here has given you excellent advice - submit the correct 2024-2025 FAFSA immediately and don't stress about having both years in the system. One additional tip from what I've seen work well: when you call your financial aid office tomorrow, ask to speak with a "financial aid counselor" specifically rather than just the general intake staff. Counselors typically have more authority to expedite processing and approve temporary solutions like emergency grants or payment plan extensions. Also, bring a printed copy of your class schedule and any registration deadlines when you visit in person (if possible). Sometimes showing them the concrete timeline helps them prioritize your case. Many offices also have a "financial aid appeal" form for situations exactly like this - it's not really an appeal, but it flags your file for urgent processing. You caught this early enough that you should be totally fine! The new FAFSA system has made these mix-ups super common, so schools are definitely prepared to handle them quickly. Good luck with your call tomorrow!

Hey! I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in because this thread has been incredibly helpful to read through as someone who's currently navigating the FAFSA process myself. The amount of practical, real-world advice shared here is amazing! @Yara Sabbagh I really hope your situation got resolved successfully when you called your financial aid office! Your experience has honestly been a huge learning opportunity for so many of us. The fact that you caught the mistake and took immediate action shows great problem-solving skills. For anyone else who might find this thread in the future, the key takeaways seem to be: submit the correct year's FAFSA ASAP, call your school's financial aid office right away to explain the situation, ask specifically about emergency/expedited processing procedures, and don't panic because this mistake is apparently much more common than most people realize. The community support and expertise shown in this thread is exactly why places like this are so valuable. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, especially those who work in financial aid offices and could provide insider perspectives on how these situations are actually handled behind the scenes!

I'm a college financial aid officer and I've been helping families resolve this exact error all year - you're definitely not alone in this frustrating situation! Based on what I've seen work consistently, here's my recommended troubleshooting sequence: 1. First, have your daughter log into her FSA ID account separately and verify that ALL personal information (name, birthdate, SSN, address) matches exactly what's on her FAFSA - even small discrepancies like middle initials can cause authentication failures. 2. Clear browser data completely, then wait at least 30 minutes before attempting again. Use the direct studentaid.gov homepage rather than any bookmarked links. 3. Try submitting during off-peak hours (between 11pm-6am) when the servers are less overloaded. If those steps don't work, there may be a backend verification issue that requires agent intervention. I'd recommend documenting all your attempts with screenshots and calling your daughter's school immediately - most financial aid offices have direct escalation channels with Federal Student Aid that can resolve these technical glitches much faster than the general phone line. This "simplified" FAFSA rollout has been an absolute disaster for families, but don't lose hope! I've seen even the most stubborn cases eventually get resolved with the right approach and persistence.

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! My son has been stuck on this error for almost a week and I was starting to lose hope until I found this thread. Reading everyone's experiences has been both reassuring and incredibly helpful - it's clear this "simplified" FAFSA system is anything but simple. I'm planning to try the comprehensive approach that several people have outlined: starting with @Drake's systematic method (clearing cache, waiting 30 minutes, using direct studentaid.gov link), then moving to @Amara Chukwu's sequence if needed (updating FSA ID security info, 48-hour wait, different network). The tips about disabling browser extensions, logging out of all accounts, and trying during off-peak hours all make perfect sense too. What's really encouraging is seeing so many success stories after families tried the multi-step approach with patience. @Ayla Kumar and @Mary Bates both emphasized how crucial the waiting periods are for letting the system reset after failed attempts. I'm also calling our school's financial aid office first thing Monday to document everything and see if they have direct FSA contacts. It's absolutely ridiculous that we need to become IT experts just to submit financial aid forms, but this community has given me hope and a clear roadmap forward. Thank you to everyone who's shared their solutions - this thread is honestly a lifeline for families dealing with this broken system! I'll report back on what works for us.

That's awesome that it worked out so smoothly for you! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - just got my FAFSA processed last week and realized I want to add two more schools to my list. Your update gives me confidence to go ahead and do it. Did the new school you added show up in your account right away, or did it take a day or two to appear in your school list?

Just wanted to jump in as someone who went through this exact same panic last year! I added 3 schools after my FAFSA was processed and it was completely fine. Your processed status stays the same, your SAI doesn't change, and the schools you already listed won't be affected at all. The only thing to keep in mind is that some schools have their own priority deadlines for receiving FAFSA info, so if the school you're adding has an early deadline, just make sure you're still within their timeframe. But technically speaking, adding schools after processing is totally normal and won't cause any issues with your application!