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wait does this mean if my kid got money from summer job that its counted worse than if i have the same money in my account?? thats not fair!
Yes, unfortunately that's exactly how the FAFSA works. Student assets are assessed at 20% while parent assets are assessed at a maximum of 5.64%. It's designed this way because the system assumes students should use most of their money for education, while parents have other financial responsibilities. It's not necessarily fair, but it is how the formula works.
Just wanted to add one more consideration that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure your daughter understands the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) rules for inherited Roth IRAs. Even though the distribution she took in 2022 won't affect her 2025-2026 FAFSA income reporting, she'll likely need to take distributions over the next several years under the 10-year rule. This could impact future FAFSA applications if those distributions are large enough to be considered income in later years. It might be worth consulting with a tax professional to plan the timing of future distributions to minimize impact on financial aid eligibility.
This is a really important point that I hadn't considered! So even though the 2022 distribution won't affect this year's FAFSA, future required distributions could impact aid eligibility down the road? That's something we definitely need to plan for. Do you know if there's flexibility in how much she takes each year within that 10-year window, or does it have to be evenly distributed?
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So glad you got through and got confirmation! This is a great reminder for everyone that paper FAFSA submissions are still valid but require much more follow-up. For future reference, if anyone else needs to submit paper forms, I'd recommend sending them via certified mail with tracking so you have proof of delivery date. That way you can show your school exactly when you submitted if there are any deadline issues. Good luck with your financial aid package!
This is such helpful advice! I wish I had known about certified mail when I sent mine in. I'm definitely going to remember that tip for next year or if I need to send any other important documents. It's crazy how much stress could have been avoided with just a little extra planning. Thanks for sharing that!
As someone who's been through the paper FAFSA process, I'm so relieved to see your update! The waiting is absolutely nerve-wracking. One thing I'd add - if your school has a financial aid chat or walk-in hours, definitely take advantage of those too. Sometimes they can give you more specific guidance about your situation or even flag your account for priority review once your FAFSA processes. Also, if you run into any snags during processing, don't hesitate to reach out to your school's financial aid office again - they're usually very understanding about paper submission delays, especially when students can show they submitted on time.
This is such great advice! I had no idea that schools could flag accounts for priority review. I'm definitely going to check if my school has walk-in hours this week - it would be so much better to talk to someone face-to-face about this situation. The whole paper FAFSA process has been way more stressful than I expected, but seeing everyone's helpful responses here gives me hope that it will all work out in the end!
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Just to clarify something important: your financial aid award isn't automatic after receiving your SAI. Each school creates their own unique financial aid package based on: 1. Your SAI score 2. The school's total cost of attendance 3. Available funding at that specific institution 4. Their particular awarding policies With a -1500 SAI, you'll likely qualify for the maximum Pell Grant ($7,395 for the 2025-2026 award year), but institutional aid, work-study, and loans will vary by school. Once you've verified your FAFSA is complete and the school has your information, ask about their typical notification timeline and if they need additional documentation from you specifically.
Thank you for clarifying! $7,395 would be a huge help. I'm going to call them tomorrow morning to check on everything.
Hey! I went through this exact same situation last year and totally understand the confusion. Your -1500 SAI is fantastic and definitely means you'll qualify for substantial aid! One thing I'd add to all the great advice here is to also check if your school has any priority deadlines for institutional aid that you might be approaching. Some schools have separate deadlines for their own scholarships and grants even after you've submitted your FAFSA. Also, while you're waiting to hear back, it might be worth looking into your state's financial aid programs too. Many states have their own grant programs for residents that use your FAFSA info but require separate applications. Good luck with everything - with that SAI score, you should be in really good shape once everything gets processed! The waiting is definitely the hardest part but it sounds like you're on the right track.
This is really helpful advice, thank you! I hadn't even thought about state aid programs or priority deadlines for institutional scholarships. Do you know where I can find information about my state's programs? And how do I find out about my school's specific deadlines? I definitely don't want to miss out on any opportunities while I'm waiting for the main aid package to come through.
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As a newcomer to this community, I just want to echo how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm also starting graduate school this fall with a 0 SAI and was completely overwhelmed trying to understand what it meant for my funding prospects. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such a relief - I initially worried I had made some error on my FAFSA, but now I understand it's actually the best possible outcome for demonstrating financial need. What really strikes me from all these responses is how much more complex and nuanced graduate financial aid is compared to undergraduate aid. While we won't receive federal grants like Pell, the 0 SAI can still be valuable for institutional scholarships, work-study eligibility, and department-specific funding opportunities that require active pursuit rather than automatic qualification. I'm particularly encouraged by the success stories about emergency grants, graduate assistantships, and need-based scholarships that people discovered by being proactive with their outreach. It's clear that reaching out early to both my specific graduate program and the financial aid office will be crucial for maximizing my funding opportunities. Thank you all for taking the time to share your insights and experiences - this thread has transformed what felt like a confusing and intimidating process into a clear roadmap for navigating graduate financial aid with confidence!
Welcome to the community! I'm also new here and just starting my graduate program this fall with a 0 SAI. This thread has been such an incredible resource for understanding what that actually means! Like you and so many others, I was initially really concerned when I first saw the 0 on my FAFSA - I thought I might have done something wrong in my application. But reading through all these detailed experiences has been so reassuring and educational. I'm really struck by how different the graduate aid landscape is from undergrad, and how much more proactive we need to be in seeking out opportunities. The success stories about people finding emergency grants, assistantships, and departmental scholarships through early outreach are really motivating me to start making those contacts soon. It's so great to connect with other newcomers who are navigating this same journey - thanks for such a thoughtful summary of this amazing discussion!
As a newcomer to this community, this discussion has been absolutely amazing! I'm also starting graduate school this fall and got a 0 SAI, which initially had me panicking thinking I'd made some huge mistake on my FAFSA. But reading through everyone's experiences here has been so reassuring and informative. It's really eye-opening to learn how different graduate financial aid is from undergrad - while we won't get federal grants like Pell, that 0 SAI can still help with institutional aid and work-study opportunities that we might not even know about. I'm particularly encouraged by all the success stories about people finding emergency grants, assistantships, and departmental scholarships through proactive outreach. The consistent advice about reaching out early to both my graduate program and financial aid office really makes sense - it sounds like graduate aid requires much more active pursuit compared to undergrad where things are more automatic. I'm definitely planning to start making those contacts within my first few weeks to explore all possible funding sources at my school. Thank you all for sharing your insights and making this whole process feel much less overwhelming for those of us just starting our graduate journey!
Andre Rousseau
As a complete newcomer to the FAFSA world, I can't express how grateful I am for finding this thread! I'm currently dealing with this exact same confusion with my son's application. Like so many others here, I spent countless hours completing every section of the FAFSA using my parent contributor account, providing all our tax information and financial details, only to discover I can't actually access the final SAR document that shows the results of all that work. The system design really is counterintuitive - it's like doing all the grocery shopping but then having to ask someone else to tell you what's in the cart! Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful. I now understand that I need to use my son's FSA ID to log into studentaid.gov and look under "My Documents" for the SAR. One thing I'm wondering about though - if our FAFSA was submitted about 5 days ago and shows "processed" status, but we still don't see the SAR in his account, should I be concerned? Or is this normal processing time? Also, I've seen some mentions of verification flags - how would we know if our application was selected for verification, and would that delay the SAR availability? Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences and solutions - this community is invaluable for those of us navigating this maze for the first time!
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Julian Paolo
•Welcome to the FAFSA confusion! Your grocery shopping analogy is perfect - that's exactly how frustrating this system feels! At 5 days with "processed" status, your son's SAR should definitely be available by now. If it's not showing up in his student account under "My Documents," there could be a few issues: 1) Password/login problems (try resetting his FSA ID password), 2) A verification flag that's holding up the SAR release, or 3) A technical glitch with this year's system. Regarding verification - if your FAFSA was selected, there would typically be a note or asterisk on the SAR itself, or you might receive an email notification. But if the SAR isn't appearing at all, that's different. I'd recommend calling Federal Student Aid directly or trying that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier to get connected quickly. They can tell you immediately if there's a verification hold or other issue preventing the SAR from being generated. Don't worry - you're definitely not alone in this struggle, and it will get resolved!
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Lorenzo McCormick
As a newcomer to this FAFSA process, I'm so thankful I found this thread! I'm currently experiencing the exact same frustration with my daughter's application. Like many others here, I spent hours completing the entire FAFSA through my parent contributor account, inputting all our tax information and financial details, only to discover that I can't access the Student Aid Report that the college is requesting. The system design really doesn't make intuitive sense - why have parents do all the work but then restrict access to the results? After reading through all these helpful responses, I now understand I need to use my daughter's FSA ID to log into studentaid.gov and check under "My Documents" in her student account. Our FAFSA shows as "processed" from about 6 days ago, so the SAR should definitely be available by now. I'm planning to help her log in tonight and hopefully we'll find it there. If not, I'll try that Claimyr service that was mentioned for getting through to Federal Student Aid quickly. One question for the experienced parents - when schools ask for the SAR multiple times throughout the process, is it always the same document, or could there be updated versions if corrections are made? I want to make sure we're always submitting the most current version. Thanks to everyone who shared their step-by-step guidance - this community is incredibly helpful for those of us navigating this confusing system for the first time!
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