I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in because I'm dealing with a very similar situation! My daughter's SAI came back at 7198 and we're also not seeing any Pell Grant in her aid package, which is really stressing me out since we were counting on that funding. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful - it sounds like there are a lot of processing issues and verification flags with the new FAFSA system that aren't being communicated clearly to families. The fact that so many people with SAIs in our range have been able to get their Pell Grants after resolving these behind-the-scenes issues gives me a lot of hope. I'm planning to call our financial aid office first thing Monday morning and specifically ask them to check for any verification flags or processing holds that might be preventing the award, even though we haven't been notified of any issues. The advice about asking them to explain exactly what's blocking the Pell despite having a qualifying SAI is really smart. Sebastian, I hope you get answers soon! It sounds like with your SAI of 7261 you should definitely qualify for at least some Pell funding. Please keep us updated on what you find out - I'm sure there are other families dealing with this same frustrating situation who would benefit from hearing how it gets resolved.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this frustrating situation! As someone new to this community but currently navigating similar FAFSA challenges, I wanted to add my voice of support. Reading through all these responses has been really eye-opening about how many families are experiencing processing issues with the new FAFSA system. Your SAI of 7261 should absolutely qualify for at least some Pell Grant funding based on the 7380 cutoff everyone has mentioned. What really stands out to me is how many people have discovered "silent flags" or verification requirements that were blocking their awards without any notification. It seems like the new system has created a lot of behind-the-scenes problems that families aren't being told about. Based on everyone's advice here, I'd definitely recommend calling your daughter's financial aid office and specifically asking them to check for any processing flags, verification holds, or technical issues that might be preventing the Pell Grant from being awarded despite your qualifying SAI. Don't just ask if she's eligible - ask them to walk through exactly what's blocking it. Also, definitely mention having two children in college now. Even though the federal formula no longer accounts for this, many schools are using institutional aid to help families bridge that gap. I hope you get this resolved quickly! Please keep us updated - I'm sure there are many other families dealing with similar situations who would benefit from hearing how it works out.

I'm completely new to this community but this discussion is exactly what I needed to find! My family is just starting to navigate the college financial aid process and honestly, reading through everyone's experiences here is both terrifying and incredibly helpful at the same time. The fact that FAFSA completely ignores regional housing costs seems like such an obvious flaw in the system - how can they expect families to contribute the same percentage of income when housing costs vary so dramatically across the country? We're looking at colleges for next year and I'm already worried we're going to face the same impossible calculations everyone is describing here. I'm taking notes on all the strategies mentioned - Professional Judgment appeals, community college transfer routes, state grant programs, employer partnerships. It's frustrating that families have to become financial aid experts just to make education affordable, but I'm grateful this community exists to share real-world solutions. @Tobias Lancaster - I really hope some of these approaches work out for you and your son. The engineering community college transfer strategy that @Kyle Wallace and @Carmen Vega described sounds like it could save tens of thousands while still getting the same degree outcome. Wishing you the best as you navigate this broken system!

I'm new to this community and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening about the FAFSA housing cost issue! As someone just starting to research college financing options, I had no idea that the system completely ignores regional cost of living differences. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that the $3,600/month expectation while paying a $2,200 mortgage is unfortunately common across high-cost areas. What strikes me most is how many practical solutions this community has shared despite dealing with such a fundamentally broken system. The Professional Judgment appeals process seems like a crucial first step that many families don't know about. And the success stories from @Kyle Wallace and @Carmen Vega with the community college transfer route are really encouraging - saving $45,000 and $28,000 respectively while still getting degrees from their target schools shows there are viable paths forward. I'm bookmarking this entire discussion for when my family faces this process. Thank you all for sharing your real-world experiences and solutions - it's invaluable information for families trying to navigate college affordability without financial ruin!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how invaluable this entire discussion has been! I'm currently facing this exact situation with my son's college applications - I'm divorced and the custodial parent, and I've been incredibly anxious about whether having different parent information on Common App versus FAFSA would create problems or raise red flags with admissions offices. Reading through everyone's real experiences here has provided such tremendous relief! The consistent message from families who've successfully navigated this process is so reassuring - that colleges completely understand this situation since they see divorced families constantly, and that it makes perfect sense for Common App (complete family information for admissions) to differ from FAFSA (custodial parent information for financial aid calculations) since they serve entirely different purposes. I'm absolutely going to follow all the practical advice shared here: getting our divorce documentation organized immediately (decree, custody agreement, tax returns), researching CSS Profile requirements for our target schools, and understanding that consistency within each application matters more than consistency across different systems. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and wisdom - this community support has been more helpful than any official guidance I've found, and it's given me the confidence to move forward with this process knowing we can handle it successfully!

As a newcomer to this community and someone currently going through this exact situation, I want to thank everyone for sharing such detailed and helpful experiences! My daughter and I are facing the same dilemma - I'm the custodial parent after a divorce 3 years ago, and I've been incredibly stressed about whether having different parent information on Common App versus FAFSA would somehow hurt her chances or create red flags. Reading through all these real-world experiences has been such a relief! The consistent message that colleges see this situation all the time and completely understand why divorced families would have different parent info across these systems really puts my mind at ease. It makes perfect sense that Common App needs complete family information for admissions while FAFSA follows custodial parent rules for financial aid calculations - they're serving different purposes. I'm definitely taking everyone's advice about getting all our documentation organized early (divorce decree, custody agreement, tax returns) and checking CSS Profile requirements for the schools on her list. It's so reassuring to know that what felt like an impossible contradiction is actually just standard procedure for divorced families. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share - this community support has been more valuable than any official guidance I've found online!

one more thing - watch out for "front-loading" where they give u more aid freshman year then reduce it later! happened to my cousin and they had to transfer cuz they couldn't afford sophomore year

This thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with the exact same confusion with my daughter's applications. One thing I learned from our school counselor that might help others - when you're comparing offers, make sure to look at whether the aid includes work-study as part of the package. Some schools count work-study earnings as "aid" which makes their net price look lower, but you still have to actually work those hours and earn that money throughout the year. It's not guaranteed income like grants and scholarships. Just another layer of complexity to navigate in this already confusing process!

Just wanted to add my voice to this thread as someone who went through this exact scenario last month! My daughter's FAFSA randomly switched from "processed" to "in review" when I logged in to check her SAI for a scholarship application. I was absolutely terrified that I had somehow triggered a problem that would delay her financial aid. After reading through all these experiences, I feel so much better knowing this is a widespread issue with the new system. The explanation about automatic quality assurance checks really makes sense. For what it's worth, my daughter's application went back to "processed" after about 8 days with the exact same SAI, and she received her aid packages from all her schools right on schedule. The key thing I learned is that the schools can see your original submission date in their systems, so these random reviews don't affect priority consideration. I also took everyone's advice about screenshotting everything - definitely recommend that for peace of mind! This community has been so helpful in navigating these FAFSA system quirks. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences!

New to this community but SO glad I found this thread! Just had the exact same heart attack moment this afternoon - my son's FAFSA went from "processed" to "in review" the second I logged in to check his SAI for a scholarship application due tomorrow. I was convinced I had somehow broken his entire financial aid future! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring. The explanation about random quality assurance checks makes so much more sense than thinking our login somehow triggered a problem. @Nina Chan thank you for the professional insight about the original submission date being what matters for priority consideration - that's exactly what I needed to hear since we submitted well before all his school deadlines. @The Boss your story about the twins going through this and everything working out perfectly gives me so much hope! And @Ethan Wilson hearing that your daughter got all her aid packages on schedule despite the status change is exactly the reassurance I needed. Taking everyone's advice to screenshot everything and wait it out. It's amazing how this thread has turned my panic into relief - thank you all for sharing your stories and creating this supportive space for navigating these FAFSA system quirks!