I'm so glad I found this thread! I've been having the exact same verification error for the past week and was starting to panic about missing my school's deadline. Reading through everyone's solutions gives me hope that there's actually a way to fix this nightmare. I'm going to try the browser switching method first (currently using Chrome), then the different phone number trick if that doesn't work. It's absolutely mind-boggling that a system this important for students' futures can be this broken. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and solutions - this community is literally saving people's financial aid prospects! Will update if I find success with any of these methods.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been stuck on the verification step for 3 days and getting the "unknown error" message even though my phone shows as verified. This is so stressful with deadlines coming up. I'm going to try some of the solutions mentioned here - starting with the browser switching and then maybe the different phone number trick. It's crazy that we need to become tech experts just to apply for financial aid! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and solutions. This thread is a lifesaver for those of us dealing with this broken system.

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and honestly finding it pretty overwhelming! Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and terrifying at the same time. It sounds like these SAI changes during processing are more common than I thought. For those of you who've been through this before - is there anything you wish you had known going into your first FAFSA submission? I'm planning to submit mine soon and want to avoid any surprises if possible. Should I just expect my preliminary SAI to change, or are there ways to get a more accurate estimate upfront? Also, @Sayid Hassan - thanks for sharing your professional insight throughout this thread! It's really helpful to get perspective from someone who works in financial aid.

As someone who just went through this exact situation last year, I can totally relate to that initial panic! My SAI jumped by about 180 points between submission and final processing, and I was convinced I'd made some major error. What I learned from my financial aid counselor is that the Department of Education uses different calculation engines for the preliminary vs. final SAI. The preliminary one is designed to give you a "ballpark" estimate quickly, while the final processing runs through all the detailed federal methodology formulas. One thing that really helped me was using the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool (studentaid.gov/aid-estimator) before submitting my FAFSA. It's not perfect, but it tends to be closer to the final SAI than the preliminary one you see during submission. Might be worth checking that out for future years! The silver lining is that once you understand this is just how the system works, it's way less stressful. Your SAI is still well within Pell Grant range, so you should be good to go for aid. Just one of those FAFSA quirks we all have to deal with unfortunately!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation last year! The FAFSA requirement for Parent PLUS loans caught us completely off guard too. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned - make sure you have all your tax documents ready before starting the FAFSA. The new system uses the IRS Data Retrieval Tool which can pull your tax info directly, but if that doesn't work for any reason, you'll need to input everything manually. Also, don't forget that Parent PLUS loans have higher interest rates than student loans (currently around 8.05% vs 5.5% for undergrad Direct loans), so definitely take advantage of those unsubsidized loans Chloe mentioned first. Good luck with the process - you've got this!

As someone new to this whole process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! My daughter is starting college in the fall and I had the exact same confusion about FAFSA vs Parent PLUS loans. The financial aid office at her school also gave me conflicting information initially. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it's clear that the FAFSA is definitely required first - no way around it. I'm curious though, for those who've been through this - is there any advantage to completing the FAFSA earlier in the year (like January/February) versus doing it now closer to the deadline? I'm wondering if we should get ahead of this for next year to avoid the stress. Also, thank you to everyone who shared the processing timelines - that really helps with planning!

Just wanted to chime in as another PA student who went through this same confusion! One thing I learned the hard way is that even if your PHEAA approval letter doesn't explicitly mention FAFSA, you should always double-check your student portal to make sure all your aid requirements are met. Sometimes there are holds or missing documents that aren't obvious from the initial approval. Also, if you're taking summer classes at a different school than your main campus, make sure both schools are communicating about your aid - I had issues with that once where my home school had all my info but the summer host school didn't receive the transfer properly. Hope everything works out for your summer registration!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here but I've been dealing with similar FAFSA and state aid confusion myself. Reading through this thread has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the PA State Grant form being separate from the FAFSA! I'm in a different state but we have similar issues with our state aid agency requiring both federal and state applications. One thing that helped me was creating a checklist of all the different deadlines and requirements since they can vary so much between programs and schools. It sounds like you're getting great advice here about checking which aid year your summer classes fall under. That seems to be the key issue that trips up a lot of students. Good luck with getting everything sorted out!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - the divorce/FAFSA situation is incredibly stressful! I went through something similar when my divorce was finalized mid-academic year. A few practical tips from my experience: 1. **Priority order**: Start with your son's top choice schools first when contacting financial aid offices. Some schools are much more generous with professional judgment adjustments than others. 2. **Documentation prep**: Get multiple copies of everything ready - divorce decree, recent pay stubs, bank statements, and a letter from your ex's attorney or court documentation showing no support obligations. Having everything organized will speed up the process. 3. **Business account reporting**: Unfortunately yes, you do need to report those business accounts. I learned this the hard way too. The FAFSA considers any accounts in your name as your assets, regardless of their business purpose. 4. **Timeline management**: Don't wait for the FAFSA corrections to process before submitting special circumstances forms to schools. Do both simultaneously to avoid delays. The good news is that with your actual income of $28K, your contribution should drop dramatically once the adjustments are made. Hang in there - it's fixable, just takes some persistence!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and wanted to share what I've learned from my financial aid advisor. The key thing is to act quickly on both fronts - the FAFSA corrections AND the special circumstances appeals. For the FAFSA corrections, definitely don't try to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool again. You'll need to manually enter just your portion of the 2021 income. If you filed jointly, you might need to get a tax transcript and calculate what portion was actually yours versus your ex's. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure you're also updating your dependency status correctly. Since you're divorced, only YOUR income should count as the custodial parent, not your ex's. This is a separate issue from the special circumstances review. Also, regarding your eBay business - you mentioned putting $0 for business value, which is correct for the FAFSA since you have no employees. But for your taxes, make sure you're tracking all business expenses properly. This can help reduce your adjusted gross income, which will ultimately help with your Expected Family Contribution. The system is definitely frustrating, but don't give up! With your actual income of $28K, you should qualify for significant aid once everything is corrected.