As someone who just went through this process, I want to emphasize how important it is to understand the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans BEFORE accepting your financial aid package. I wish someone had told me that I could actually decline part of my unsubsidized loan offer if I didn't need the full amount. You're not required to accept the entire loan amount offered - you can take less if you can cover costs through other means like part-time work or family help. This can save you hundreds or even thousands in interest over the life of the loan. Also, make sure to complete your entrance counseling carefully - it covers all this information, but most students just click through it quickly. Take the time to actually read and understand what you're agreeing to!

Just to add some concrete numbers to help with your calculations - I graduated last year and can share my actual experience. I had $8,000 in unsubsidized loans over 4 years at about 5.8% interest (rates were lower when I started). By graduation, that had grown to almost $10,200 because I didn't pay any interest while in school. If I had paid just $30/month toward interest during school, I would have saved over $2,000! The interest calculator on studentaid.gov is really helpful for running these scenarios. Also, don't forget that once you graduate, you get a 6-month grace period before repayment starts, but interest keeps accumulating during that time too on unsubsidized loans. Plan accordingly!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm about to start my FAFSA application and have a very similar situation - my daughter lives with me and my husband (her stepfather), while her biological father lives in another state and has minimal involvement. I was really worried about whether I'd need to track down his financial information. Reading through everyone's experiences with the income glitch is both reassuring and concerning. It's good to know it's not user error, but frustrating that such an important system has these bugs. I'm definitely going to follow the advice here about being very careful with the "Married filing jointly" selection and having all our tax documents ready before I start. The tip about checking the Student Aid Report afterward is something I never would have thought to do - thank you to everyone who mentioned that! It sounds like that's a crucial step to catch any calculation errors. Has anyone noticed if certain browsers work better than others for avoiding these glitches? I want to set myself up for success from the start.

I just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same situation last year! The confusion about which parents to report is so common with blended families. You're absolutely right that you only need to include yourself and your husband - the biological father who doesn't live with your son is completely excluded from FAFSA. The income glitch you experienced is unfortunately very real. I had the same problem where it only asked for my spouse's information but completely skipped mine. After reading through all the great advice in this thread, I'd recommend: 1. Start fresh with a cleared browser (Chrome worked best for me) 2. Take your time on the tax filing status questions - be very explicit about selecting "Married filing jointly" 3. Don't rush through the parent section 4. Have all your tax documents ready before you begin The most important thing everyone mentioned about checking your Student Aid Report afterward cannot be emphasized enough! Even if the application seems to submit correctly, make sure both parents' income information actually appears on your SAR. I caught an error there that would have significantly affected my daughter's aid package. It's frustrating that such a critical system has these bugs, but at least now you know it's not just you and there are proven solutions that work. Good luck!

Hey Anastasia! I totally get that first-gen student anxiety - I was in the exact same boat last year and remember obsessively checking my FAFSA status every few hours! The "processed" status is actually really encouraging news - it means your application successfully passed through all the initial system validations without any red flags. Here's what helped me manage the stress: I created a simple timeline tracker with realistic expectations. Your SAI should appear within the next 3-5 business days, then schools receive your data within 1-2 days after that. With 3 weeks until your deadline, you're actually in great shape - most schools need about 2-3 weeks to prepare aid packages. Since you mentioned your SAR looks clean (no verification flags), you're in really good shape! My advice is to call your financial aid office early next week to confirm they received your FAFSA data and ask about their timeline for releasing aid packages. When I called mine, they were super helpful and even gave me a rough estimate of when to expect my aid package. One thing that really helped my peace of mind was realizing that being proactive (like you're being right now) is exactly what you need to do as a first-gen student. You're asking all the right questions and staying on top of everything. The hardest part - actually completing and submitting the FAFSA - is behind you now. You've got this!

Hey Anastasia! As a fellow first-gen student, I totally understand that anxiety - I was checking my FAFSA status obsessively last year too! The "processed" status is actually really good news - it means your application made it through all the initial system checks successfully. Here's what you can expect: Your SAI calculation should appear within 3-5 business days, then your information gets sent to schools within another 1-2 days. Since your deadline is in 3 weeks and schools typically take 2-3 weeks to prepare aid packages after receiving your data, you're actually in great shape timing-wise! Since you mentioned your SAR doesn't show any verification flags, that's a huge relief - it means everything looks good on the federal level. I'd recommend calling your school's financial aid office this week just to confirm they received your FAFSA data and ask about their timeline for aid packages. They're usually really helpful with first-gen students and can give you peace of mind about where things stand. One thing that helped me was creating a simple checklist of next steps so I felt more in control instead of just anxiously waiting. You're being incredibly proactive by staying on top of this - that's exactly the right approach! The hardest part (actually submitting the FAFSA) is done. You've got this!

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm going to wait until my parents file their taxes, then immediately make the correction on studentaid.gov AND contact all my schools to let them know. I'll also check each school's financial aid website to see if they have specific forms for tax updates. Hoping the difference isn't too big from what we estimated!

Great question! I went through this exact same situation last year. Yes, you absolutely should update your FAFSA once your parents file their 2023 taxes. Here's what I learned: Log into studentaid.gov and use the "Make FAFSA Corrections" feature to input the actual tax figures. The system will automatically recalculate your SAI with the real numbers. Also, definitely reach out to each of your schools' financial aid offices proactively - some have their own internal deadlines for tax updates that aren't widely advertised. I'd recommend making the correction within a week of when the taxes are filed to avoid any processing delays that could affect your aid disbursement timing. Keep digital copies of everything in case you need to reference them later!

Just to bring this full circle - the bottom line is that VA education benefits don't count against your FAFSA eligibility. Your daughter could potentially receive full federal financial aid (including Pell Grants if your income qualifies) PLUS her VA benefits. Just be transparent with schools about all sources of funding to avoid complications later. And congratulations to your daughter on her college journey!

I'm so glad you found helpful answers here! As someone who works with veteran families navigating financial aid, I just want to emphasize one more important point: make sure your daughter applies for her Certificate of Eligibility (COE) through the VA well before her first semester starts. Even though the financial aid processes are separate, having that COE ready helps streamline everything with the school's veteran services office. Also, many schools have dedicated veteran coordinators who can be incredibly helpful - they often know the ins and outs of how VA benefits work with other aid better than general financial aid staff. Best of luck to your daughter!