As someone who just went through this process with my twin daughters last year, I can confirm the timeline varies wildly between schools. We had our FAFSA submitted by early January, and aid packages trickled in from February through late April. The private colleges my daughters applied to were generally faster - most sent aid info within 2-3 weeks of acceptance. State schools took longer, with some not finalizing packages until after spring break. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: create a spreadsheet to track everything! Include columns for school name, application deadline, acceptance date, aid package received date, total COA, grants/scholarships, loans offered, and net cost. It becomes overwhelming trying to compare 8+ schools without organized tracking. Also, don't forget that merit scholarships sometimes come separately from need-based aid, so you might receive multiple letters from the same school. The waiting is stressful, but try to stay patient and organized. Good luck to your daughter!

As someone currently going through this with my son (also a high school senior), I'm finding the waiting to be the hardest part! We submitted our FAFSA in early December and are now in the thick of application season. From what I've learned talking to other parents and school counselors, the timeline really does depend on the school type. The private colleges my son applied to have been more communicative about when we can expect aid packages - most said 2-4 weeks after acceptance decisions. The state schools have been less specific, just saying "by May 1st" which isn't super helpful for planning! One tip I got from a friend whose daughter is now a sophomore: start familiarizing yourself with financial aid terminology now. Understanding the difference between subsidized vs unsubsidized loans, work-study, institutional grants vs federal grants, etc. will help you evaluate the packages more quickly when they arrive. There's a lot to digest and the language can be confusing if you're seeing it for the first time under pressure. Also seconding what others said about having backup plans ready in case packages are delayed again this year. We're already preparing for the possibility that we might need to request deposit deadline extensions if aid info comes late. Better to be prepared than scrambling in April!

Wow, this entire thread has been an absolute goldmine of information! I'm completely new to navigating financial aid (my oldest just started his senior year of high school), and honestly, I had no clue about any of this complexity. Like many others here, I assumed FAFSA was the actual funding source and that "financial aid packages" meant everything would be covered equally. Reading about all these restrictions on different types of aid, the appeal processes, housing-specific scholarships, and emergency grants - it's overwhelming but so incredibly helpful to know about ahead of time. I'm definitely going to start researching each school's specific aid policies and creating that spreadsheet someone mentioned earlier. To everyone who shared their experiences and advice - thank you for being so generous with your knowledge. Oliver, I really hope you're able to secure additional funding through appeals and those department scholarships. This community is proving to be invaluable for families trying to navigate this confusing system!

As someone who's completely new to the financial aid world (my son is just starting his junior year), this entire conversation has been both eye-opening and incredibly valuable! I had absolutely no idea that FAFSA was just the application form and not the actual funding source - that's such an important distinction that I wish was explained more clearly upfront. Reading about all the different restrictions on various types of aid, the appeal processes, department-specific scholarships, and emergency housing grants has given me a much better understanding of what we'll be facing in a couple of years. Oliver, I really admire how persistent you've been in getting answers from the financial aid office, and I hope the appeal process and additional scholarship searches work out for you. To everyone else who's shared their experiences - thank you so much for taking the time to explain all these nuances. I'm definitely going to start preparing early by creating that spreadsheet to track each school's aid policies and asking the detailed questions that several people have suggested. This community is proving to be such an invaluable resource for navigating what seems like an unnecessarily complex system!

As someone who recently went through the NJ residency verification process, I wanted to add one more helpful resource that saved me during a particularly stressful moment! **Emergency Contact Strategy**: If you ever find yourself in a time crunch with NJFAMS deadlines approaching, try reaching out to your high school's guidance counselor or college counselor. Even though you attended school out of state, many counselors are familiar with multi-state residency issues and can sometimes provide template letters or documentation strategies that have worked for other students. **Document Scanning Pro Tip**: Use a scanning app like CamScanner or Adobe Scan on your phone instead of just taking regular photos. These apps automatically enhance the image quality, straighten documents, and convert to PDF format - exactly what NJFAMS prefers for uploads. **State Aid Renewal Heads Up**: Once you get through this initial verification process, make sure to understand the renewal requirements for subsequent years. Some students assume it's automatic, but you typically need to resubmit FAFSA and complete NJFAMS renewal forms each year to maintain your state aid eligibility. The amount of detailed, practical advice in this thread is incredible - it's exactly what I wish I had found when I was first starting this process! It's clear that helping each other navigate these complex systems makes such a difference. Best of luck to everyone working through their applications!

This thread has been absolutely incredible - thank you to everyone who shared their experiences! As someone who's been lurking here trying to figure out this whole NJFAMS/residency verification maze, I can't believe how much clearer everything is now. I'm in a similar boat (family moved from Delaware to NJ during my senior year) and was totally panicking about whether I'd missed important deadlines or messed something up. Reading through everyone's real-world timelines and document checklists has been such a relief. A few things that really stood out to me: - The fact that NJFAMS notifications are so unreliable - I would have definitely been waiting around for emails that never come - How important it is to have ALL addresses match exactly on documents (down to abbreviations) - That TAG grants can be $10K+ which makes this bureaucratic hassle totally worth it - The scanning app recommendations for high-quality document uploads I'm creating my NJFAMS account tomorrow and starting the document gathering process this weekend. One quick question for those who've been through this - when you were gathering utility bills and other proof documents, did you need them to be in your parents' names specifically, or could some be in other family members' names if they're living at the same address? Thanks again for turning what felt like an impossible process into a manageable action plan!

I went through this exact same situation with my twins' FAFSAs this year! The confusion is totally understandable - the new system's instructions are really unclear about contributor requirements. Just to add some reassurance to what others have said: if you file jointly, you're all set with just one parent completing the contributor section. My husband also created an FSA ID thinking he needed to be linked too, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Both my daughters' applications processed smoothly with just me as the contributor. The key thing is making sure your section is fully complete and submitted. Don't stress about your husband's account not showing as linked - that's actually normal for your situation!

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and feeling pretty overwhelmed! My daughter is a high school senior and we're just starting the 2025-2026 application. Reading through this thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that only one parent needed to be linked as a contributor when filing jointly. We were about to create separate FSA IDs for both my spouse and me thinking we both had to complete sections. This saves us so much confusion! Quick question though - after the one parent completes their contributor section, is there anything else we need to do, or does the application automatically get processed from there? Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences - it's making this process feel much less intimidating!

My situation is a bit diffrent but maybe helpful - we have a working farm but it's owned by an LLC with my husband and his brother as 50/50 owners. FSA told us we report just my husband's 50% ownership value (minus debt) under the business/farm section, NOT under real estate investments. But all personal checking accounts (including the one we use for our share of farm income) had to be reported in full.

Just wanted to add my experience as someone who went through this exact situation last year! We have a small cattle ranch where we live on the property and do all the work ourselves. After reading through all the responses here, I can confirm that @Dananyl Lear and @Carmella Popescu are giving accurate advice. The three-part test is key: if you live on the farm/ranch property, actively participate in operations, and have fewer than 100 employees, the property value is excluded from FAFSA reporting. But ALL bank accounts must be included, even dedicated farm accounts. One tip I learned the hard way: keep detailed records of your farm operation to prove active participation if you're ever selected for verification. We had to provide documentation showing we weren't just passive landowners. Also, if you're unsure about anything, definitely call FSA directly rather than guessing - the stakes are too high for college funding!