Just wanted to add my experience here since I was in almost exactly the same situation! I dropped out in 2017 with about $15k in loans and went back in 2022. The most important thing is definitely checking your loan status on studentaid.gov first - mine were actually in default even though I thought they were just in normal repayment. Had to do the rehabilitation program which took about 10 months, but once that was done I was able to get full financial aid including Pell grants. The whole process was frustrating but absolutely worth it. One thing I wish someone had told me is to also check with your state's higher education agency - many states have programs specifically for adult learners returning to school that can supplement federal aid. Don't give up on your degree dreams! It's definitely possible to make it work.

Welcome to the community! I see you're getting some great advice here already. As someone who works in student financial aid, I'd also suggest checking if your previous school offers any kind of "fresh start" or amnesty program - some schools will temporarily waive past balances to help students re-enroll, especially if you've been out for several years. It's worth calling their student accounts office to ask. Also, when you do check studentaid.gov, pay attention to your remaining eligibility percentages for Pell grants and loan limits - you'll want to know how much aid you have left to work with. The fact that you're in a better place mentally and financially now is huge, and it sounds like you're approaching this methodically which is exactly the right way to do it!

I'm going through this exact same issue right now with my son's FAFSA! It's so frustrating that they ask for the middle initial when setting up the FSA ID but then don't provide a field for it on the actual application. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially the detailed advice about using the Additional Information section to document the discrepancy. I had no idea that section even existed! It's reassuring to know that the system primarily matches by SSN and that so many families have successfully navigated this same problem. I'm definitely going to follow the advice about being very specific in that note and taking screenshots for my records. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it really helps reduce the stress of worrying about messing up something this important!

I'm currently going through this exact situation with my daughter's FAFSA application! It's such a relief to find this thread because I was starting to panic about the name mismatch. Her middle initial is on her Social Security card and FSA ID, but like everyone else has mentioned, there's no field for it on the actual FAFSA form. Based on all the helpful advice here, I'm planning to enter just her first and last name on the form and then use the Additional Information section to document the discrepancy. It's really reassuring to hear from so many parents who went through this successfully without verification issues. The fact that the system primarily matches by SSN rather than exact name formatting definitely helps ease my anxiety. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and specific wording suggestions - this community is incredibly helpful for navigating these confusing FAFSA quirks!

As a newcomer to this whole FAFSA process, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I was about to make the same mistake so many others mentioned - just using first and last name to keep things "simple." But after reading all these real experiences, especially the horror stories about 6-week delays and endless phone calls, I'm definitely going to include my middle name exactly as it appears on my Social Security card. It's amazing how such a small detail can cause such big problems later on. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, particularly @Natasha Orlova for the insider perspective from working in financial aid - that really drove the point home! This community is such a great resource for people navigating this confusing process for the first time.

As someone completely new to the FAFSA process, this thread has been a huge eye-opener! I had no clue that name matching was this critical and was planning to just use my first and last name since that's what I do on most forms. But after reading all these experiences - especially the stories about weeks-long verification delays and @Natasha Orlova's professional insight - I'm convinced that matching my Social Security card exactly is the way to go. It's honestly a bit scary how one small oversight could potentially mess up your entire financial aid timeline when you're already stressed about college decisions and deadlines. Thank you to everyone who shared their real experiences here, both good and bad - this is exactly the kind of practical advice that newcomers like me desperately need!

Hey Giovanni! I'm so glad you found this thread and got the help you needed! 😊 Reading through all these responses brought back so many memories of my own first-year financial aid confusion. I just wanted to add one more practical tip that really helped me: create a simple checklist of all the financial aid tasks you need to complete each semester (entrance counseling, MPN signing, checking disbursement dates, etc.) and keep it somewhere visible like on your dorm room wall or in your phone notes. I also learned the hard way to always read the fine print on any financial aid emails - sometimes there are important action items buried in all that confusing language! But honestly, the biggest thing that helped me was finding a community like this one where I could ask questions without feeling judged. You're already showing such great instincts by being proactive and asking for help when you need it. That's exactly the kind of approach that will help you succeed not just with financial aid, but with college in general. Welcome to the community, and don't hesitate to keep asking questions as new situations come up! 🎓✨

Hey Giovanni! I'm so glad you found this community and got all the clarity you needed! As a newcomer here, I've been reading through this entire thread and it's honestly one of the best examples I've seen of how supportive this community can be for first-gen students navigating financial aid confusion. I just wanted to add one more tip that might be helpful: consider setting up a dedicated email folder just for financial aid communications. I learned this the hard way when I needed to reference an old disclosure statement and had to dig through hundreds of emails to find it! Having everything organized in one place makes it so much easier to track your aid throughout the semester. Also, if you're comfortable sharing, it might be worth mentioning to your academic advisor that you're a first-gen student. Many schools have additional support resources specifically for students like us, but sometimes you have to speak up to access them. You've handled this whole situation perfectly - from asking for help when confused to actively engaging with all the great advice everyone shared. That kind of proactive approach is going to serve you so well throughout college! Welcome to both college and this amazing community! 🎓😊

This is such a helpful thread! I'm a single mom going through my first FAFSA application and was getting so stressed about these household size questions. Reading everyone's experiences makes me feel less alone in finding this process confusing. It's reassuring to know that divorced parents should only count themselves and their dependents - I was second-guessing myself too because of how the questions are worded. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences!

As someone who works in financial aid, I can confirm that divorced parents should absolutely NOT include their ex-spouse in the FAFSA household size. You're correct to put 3 (you + your 2 daughters). The system shows the same questions to everyone regardless of marital status, which is why it mentions spouse - just ignore that part since it doesn't apply to your situation. Your household size should match who you claim on your tax return as dependents plus yourself. Don't stress too much about this - it's one of the most common questions we get, and you're thinking about it correctly!