Welcome to all the newcomers in this thread! As someone who's been navigating financial aid for a few years now, I wanted to add a couple of practical tips that might help: First, when calculating that 50% support threshold, don't forget about indirect costs like family health insurance premiums if your student is on your plan. That can be a substantial amount annually that's easy to overlook. Second, I've found it helpful to think about it in terms of "who would the student turn to if they needed $500 for an emergency expense?" That parent is likely the one providing the majority of financial support. Also worth noting - if you're the parent filing the FAFSA and you remarry during the aid year, your new spouse's income will need to be included in future FAFSAs. Just something to keep in mind for planning purposes. The learning curve is steep with these new rules, but you're all asking great questions and clearly want to do right by your kids. That goes a long way!

As someone new to this community and dealing with FAFSA confusion for the first time, this entire thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation where my ex and I share financial responsibilities for our son who's starting college next year. One thing I'm still unclear about - when calculating the 50% support threshold, how do you handle shared expenses? For example, we split his car payment 50/50, and we alternate paying for things like dental visits. Should I count my portion of shared expenses, or do shared expenses not count toward either parent's 50%? Also, I noticed someone mentioned keeping documentation for verification. Has anyone actually been through the verification process and can share what that experience was like? I'm wondering how detailed they expect the documentation to be. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - it's making this whole process feel much less overwhelming for those of us just starting out!

Thanks everyone for the explanations! This makes WAY more sense now. I'm definitely going to fill out the FAFSA and then carefully look at what each school offers me. I'll make sure to accept the grants and scholarships but be super careful about any loans. And I'll submit early to get the best shot at those grants!

Smart approach! Just to add one more tip - when you get those financial aid award letters, don't feel pressured to accept everything right away. You usually have until May 1st to decide, so take time to compare offers from different schools. Also, if one school offers you mostly loans but another offers more grants, you can sometimes appeal to your preferred school and ask them to match or improve their aid package. Many schools will work with you if you provide documentation of better offers elsewhere. Good luck with your applications!

As a newcomer who's been lurking and reading through this entire thread, I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who shared their experiences! My daughter is a senior and we were completely lost about where to even begin with the FAFSA process. The consensus is crystal clear now: she needs to create her FSA ID first, then I create mine, and then SHE starts the application under her own account. I was initially thinking I should handle everything since I'm more familiar with financial paperwork, but I can see that would have been a huge mistake. One quick follow-up question - when the application asks for parent information, will it be obvious when it's time for me to step in with my FSA ID? Or should we plan to sit down together from the very beginning so I can help her with any questions that come up during her sections too? I want to be supportive without accidentally interfering with the process. This community has been incredibly helpful - I feel so much more prepared now!

As a newcomer to this whole FAFSA process, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! My daughter is a junior and I've been stressed about understanding all the financial aid requirements before we get to her senior year. The message is loud and clear from everyone's experiences: student creates FSA ID first, parent creates separate FSA ID, then student initiates the application and adds parent as contributor when needed. I really appreciate everyone sharing their real-world experiences - it makes so much more sense than trying to figure it out from the official websites alone. One thing I'm wondering about - should we practice or familiarize ourselves with the FSA ID creation process before we actually need to do it for real? Or is it straightforward enough that we can just dive in when the time comes? I'm the type of person who likes to be overprepared, especially for something this important for my daughter's college funding. Also, for those who mentioned having tax documents ready - should we organize them in any particular way, or just have them available to reference? Thanks again to this community for all the helpful guidance!

This thread has been absolutely incredible to read as someone new to this community! I'm also a US citizen who completed A-levels internationally (mine in South Africa) and I've been stressing about this exact FAFSA question for over a week now. I kept flip-flopping between "high school diploma" and "none of the above" because I was so worried about being technically accurate. The consistency in everyone's advice here is really striking - from people who've successfully navigated this process to actual admissions professionals confirming the correct approach. That explanation about "completion status" versus "geographic location" really is the breakthrough insight that makes everything make sense! I was definitely overthinking it and getting caught up in wanting to be precise when the straightforward answer is actually correct. I'm also taking notes on all the practical tips shared here about gathering documents proactively and reaching out to schools early. It's so reassuring to know that this situation is common enough that universities have established procedures for handling it, and that verification (if it happens) is manageable. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and created such a supportive discussion! You've all helped transform what felt like an insurmountable obstacle into just another step in the application process. I finally feel confident about selecting "high school diploma" and moving forward with my FAFSA!

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread to discover! I'm also a US citizen who completed A-levels internationally (mine in Australia) and I've been absolutely panicking about this FAFSA question for days. I kept second-guessing myself and wondering if there was some hidden complexity I was missing. Reading through everyone's experiences - especially hearing from the admissions professional and seeing how many people have successfully navigated this exact situation - has given me so much clarity and peace of mind. That key distinction about "completion status" versus "geographic location" really is the lightbulb moment that makes everything click into place! I was definitely overthinking it and getting caught up in wanting to be technically precise, but it's clear that "high school diploma" is the straightforward and correct answer. It's also really reassuring to know that this situation is common enough that universities have established procedures for handling international credentials from US citizens. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and practical advice! This community support has been incredible - you've all helped transform what felt like an impossible roadblock into a manageable step in the application process. I finally feel confident about moving forward with my FAFSA!

As a newcomer to this community, I can't express how helpful this entire thread has been! My son is also a junior heading to college Fall 2026, and I was in the same confused state as many others here about FAFSA timing. Reading through everyone's responses has completely transformed my understanding - the October 2025 timeline for the 2026-2027 FAFSA using 2024 tax information now makes perfect sense. I'm especially grateful for all the practical preparation steps everyone has shared: setting up FSA IDs early, using the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool, starting scholarship research during senior year, and the crucial reminder about checking state-specific deadlines which can be much earlier than federal deadlines. Learning about resources like Claimyr for phone support is also incredibly valuable for next year. What I love most about this community is how everyone's shared experiences have turned what felt like an overwhelming maze of deadlines into a clear, manageable action plan. I'm feeling so much more confident and organized now instead of just anxious about the unknown. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their expertise - this is exactly the kind of supportive environment that makes navigating these complex financial aid processes so much easier!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so thankful I found this thread! My daughter is also a junior planning for Fall 2026, and like so many others here, I was completely stressed thinking I needed to start the FAFSA process immediately. Reading through everyone's responses has been incredibly reassuring - now I understand we'll complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA in October 2025 using our 2024 tax information. I really appreciate all the practical advice about setting up FSA IDs ahead of time, using the Federal Student Aid Estimator to get a rough idea of our SAI, and starting scholarship applications early during senior year. The reminder about state-specific deadlines potentially being much earlier than federal ones is something I definitely need to research for our state. It's amazing how this supportive community has transformed what felt like an overwhelming timeline into clear, manageable steps. I'm planning to tackle setting up those FSA IDs this weekend and create a preparation checklist based on all the great advice shared here. Thank you everyone for being so generous with your knowledge and experience!