This thread has been incredibly informative! As someone who's also navigating financial aid as a single parent (though not at UMD), I wanted to add a few things that might help: 1. Don't forget about the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit - you can claim childcare expenses related to attending school, which can help offset costs at tax time. 2. Many schools have emergency aid funds specifically for unexpected expenses that student parents face. These aren't always well-publicized but can be lifesavers when childcare falls through or other emergencies pop up. 3. If you end up needing to take some loans, remember that as an independent student with dependents, your annual loan limits are higher than dependent students ($9,500-$12,500 in federal loans vs $5,500-$7,500). Your 3500 SAI really should put you in a strong position for need-based aid. The fact that so many people here have shared positive experiences at UMD for student parents is really encouraging. Best of luck with your decision - you've got this!

As a financial aid counselor at a different university, I wanted to chime in with some encouragement! Your 3500 SAI as an independent student with a dependent puts you in an excellent position for significant need-based aid. Here are a few additional tips that might help: 1. When you do get through to UMD's financial aid office, ask specifically about their "full need" policy for students with very low SAIs - many schools have internal guidelines about meeting full demonstrated need for students in your situation. 2. Don't forget to apply for outside scholarships specifically for single parents or non-traditional students. Organizations like Soroptimist International and Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation have scholarships specifically for women with children pursuing higher education. 3. If your aid package isn't sufficient when it arrives, you can always appeal it with documentation of your specific circumstances as a single parent. Schools often have additional funding available for appeals, especially for students with compelling financial need. Your determination to pursue education while raising a child is admirable, and schools like UMD generally want to support students in your situation. Keep advocating for yourself - you deserve this opportunity!

As someone who just went through this process with my stepdaughter, I can confirm what others have said - your husband definitely needs to complete his contributor section, but it's not a separate application. One thing I'd add is to make sure he has all his tax documents ready before he starts, especially his W-2s and 1099s if applicable. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool works best when you have everything organized beforehand. Also, don't panic if the system seems slow or glitchy - we had to log out and back in a few times, but it saved our progress each time. The whole process took us about 30 minutes once we had all the paperwork ready.

As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation where my daughter's stepfather needs to complete his contributor section, and I was also confused about whether he needed a separate application. Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the key things to remember are: 1) He doesn't need a separate FAFSA but must complete his contributor portion, 2) He needs his own FSA ID, 3) Having all tax documents ready beforehand saves time, and 4) The IRS Data Retrieval Tool should pull most information automatically. One question I have - if there are any errors or discrepancies found during the process, can they be corrected online or do you have to start over completely?

I'm also dealing with the exact same delays and this thread has been so incredibly helpful! I submitted my FAFSA in early January and haven't heard anything from any of my 6 schools. Like so many others here, I've been obsessively checking portals and starting to panic that something went wrong with my application. What's been really stressing me out is that I'm a first-generation college student, so my family doesn't understand the financial aid process at all. They keep asking me why I don't know how much college will cost yet, and I've been struggling to explain these delays without them thinking I messed something up. Reading everyone's experiences here has given me the language to better explain that this is a nationwide systemic issue with the new FAFSA, not something I did wrong. I'm definitely going to try the early morning calling strategy and check social media for updates. It's such a relief to know that even people who submitted in December are still waiting - somehow that makes my January timeline feel less concerning. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences and practical tips. This community has been more informative than any official communication I've received! Hoping we all start seeing some movement soon. The waiting is definitely hard when you're trying to make such a huge life decision, but at least we're all navigating this together.

I'm also in the same boat and this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I submitted my FAFSA in mid-December thinking I was getting ahead of the game, but here I am nearly 4 months later with nothing from any of my 8 schools. My SAI appeared on studentaid.gov about 5 weeks ago, but like everyone else, it seems like the schools are completely stuck. What's been particularly challenging is that I'm a community college transfer student applying for fall 2025, and I wasn't sure if transfer students had different timelines or requirements that might be causing additional delays. Reading through all these experiences has been such a relief - knowing that even December submissions are still pending makes me feel so much better about the situation. I tried calling two of my schools last week and finally got through to one after using the 8am strategy mentioned by @Aidan Percy. The counselor confirmed they're about 6-8 weeks behind schedule and said transfer students might see awards slightly later than first-year students due to credit evaluation requirements, but emphasized that the FAFSA delays are affecting everyone equally. One thing I've started doing is keeping a log of which schools have posted updates on their websites or social media about the delays. So far, 5 out of my 8 schools have acknowledged the processing issues publicly, which helps when explaining the situation to family. Thanks to everyone for sharing your timelines and strategies - this community has provided more useful information than any official source! Hoping we all start seeing movement in April like the counselors are predicting.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm experiencing the exact same FAFSA frustration! I submitted mine about 11 days ago and have been obsessively checking my email for any updates about Pell Grant eligibility or my award letter. The waiting is so stressful when you're trying to figure out your financial situation for the upcoming semester. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. I had no idea that the new FAFSA system rollout was causing such widespread delays this year - I was starting to think I had made some kind of mistake on my application! The consistent advice about calling the financial aid office directly rather than waiting for emails really resonates with me. I've been hesitant to "bother" them, but it's clear that being proactive is actually necessary given all the technical issues. The tip about asking specifically whether my school has received my FAFSA data (versus just federal processing being complete) is something I never would have thought to ask about, but it sounds like that gap is where a lot of problems occur. I'm also really grateful to learn about provisional enrollment options - that could be a huge relief for managing registration deadlines while waiting for aid to be finalized. Planning to call my college's financial aid office tomorrow morning armed with all the great questions people have suggested here. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences - this thread has made what felt like an overwhelming situation feel much more manageable!

Hi everyone! As a newcomer to this community, I'm going through almost the identical situation and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I submitted my FAFSA about 9 days ago and have been anxiously waiting for any communication about my Pell Grant or financial aid package. Like many of you, I was starting to worry that I had done something wrong or missed a step. Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring - it's clear that the new FAFSA system rollout is causing major delays for students everywhere, not just me! The consistent advice about calling the financial aid office directly instead of waiting for emails has really convinced me that's the right approach. I've been hesitant to reach out thinking I should be patient, but it sounds like being proactive is actually expected and necessary this year. The tip about asking specifically whether my school has actually received my FAFSA data (versus just federal processing being complete) is something I never would have thought to ask about, but it seems like that's where many of the issues are happening. I'm also really grateful to learn about provisional enrollment options - that could be a game changer for managing registration deadlines while waiting for aid decisions. I'm planning to call my college's financial aid office first thing tomorrow morning with all the great questions people have suggested here. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive discussion - it's made this stressful process feel so much more manageable knowing we're all in this together!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences! I'm currently helping my nephew navigate his first dependency override application, and this thread has given me so much valuable insight about what to expect for the renewal process. It sounds like the most important thing is getting clear, written documentation from the school about their specific renewal policies rather than relying on verbal assurances. The experiences shared here - both positive and negative - really highlight how much schools can vary in their approaches and communication. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and refer back to it when we get to the renewal stage. The practical tips like setting calendar reminders and proactively contacting the financial aid office are exactly the kind of real-world advice you can't get from official websites. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive and informative discussion!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to share my recent experience that might help clarify this situation. I just went through the dependency override process with my daughter last month, and I had the exact same question about the "3-year approval" language. After reading through all these helpful responses, I called our financial aid office and asked for specific clarification. What I learned was that their "3-year approval" means they won't require us to resubmit all the original supporting documentation (counselor statements, court records, etc.) for years 2 and 3, but we DO still need to submit an annual confirmation form along with our FAFSA each year. The form is essentially a one-page document where we attest that our circumstances haven't materially changed and that we understand our obligation to report any changes immediately. It takes about 5 minutes to complete versus the months of documentation gathering we did initially. I think the confusion comes from financial aid offices trying to reassure families that the hardest part is over, but not being clear about what minimal steps are still required each year. Definitely recommend getting your school's specific renewal process documented in writing - it varies so much from school to school based on what everyone has shared here!