As a newcomer to this community and the FAFSA process, I want to express my sincere gratitude for this incredibly detailed and reassuring discussion! I was honestly paralyzed with anxiety about the financial information section because I assumed it would require sharing actual bank account numbers and giving the government direct access to my personal banking details. Reading through everyone's experiences has completely transformed my understanding - learning that FAFSA only needs balance totals without any account numbers, and that even during verification we can protect sensitive information by redacting account numbers, has been an enormous relief. The universal advice about taking screenshots of account balances on submission day is such practical wisdom that I never would have considered on my own. Having Myles provide professional insight from working in financial aid really validates that this process is much more privacy-conscious and reasonable than it initially appears. This thread has taken what felt like an impossible privacy dilemma and made it feel completely manageable. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment where newcomers can learn from real experiences and gain the confidence needed to navigate this process successfully!

As a newcomer to both this community and the FAFSA process, I can't thank everyone enough for this incredibly helpful and reassuring discussion! I was really stressed about the financial information section because I thought I'd need to provide actual bank account numbers and give the government access to all my financial details. Learning that FAFSA only requires balance totals without account numbers, and that even during verification I can redact sensitive information, has completely eased my concerns. The screenshot tip for documenting balances on submission day is such smart advice that I never would have thought of myself. Having Myles share professional insights from working in financial aid really helps confirm that our privacy is much better protected than I initially feared. This thread has transformed what seemed like an overwhelming privacy nightmare into something that actually feels manageable and reasonable. Thank you all for creating such a welcoming space where newcomers can learn from real experiences and get the clarity we need to move forward with confidence!

As someone who works in financial aid at a technical college, I can't stress enough how predatory that 14% Sallie Mae rate is - especially with an 800 credit score co-signer! That should be an immediate red flag to walk away and explore better options. A few things I'd recommend based on what I see daily: **Federal options to exhaust first:** - Parent PLUS loans at 8.05% should be your primary funding source before any private loans - Have the financial aid office review your FAFSA line by line - I frequently find errors that unlock additional federal aid - Look into federal work-study programs that could provide income during training **Private loan alternatives with better rates:** - Credit unions typically offer the best rates (I've seen 5.8-7.2% recently) - Traditional banks often beat Sallie Mae by 3-4% - Consider a HELOC if you have home equity - usually 6-7% and tax deductible **Aviation program reality check:** The income progression in aviation is brutal those first few years. Flight instructors typically make $28-38k, regional pilots start around $50-65k. Those loan payments would consume most of her take-home pay during the critical experience-building years. Have you considered having her complete her Private Pilot License first at a local flight school? It's $10-15k and would let her confirm this is truly her passion before committing to $130k+ in debt. Many of my students who jumped into expensive programs without testing the waters first ended up regretting it. Don't sign anything with Sallie Mae until you've exhausted these much better options!

As someone new to this community but facing similar education financing challenges, I'm amazed by how helpful and detailed everyone's responses have been! The consensus is crystal clear - that 14% Sallie Mae rate is absolutely predatory and you have much better options available. What really stands out to me from reading through all these responses: **The math is brutal:** $2,800/month loan payments on starting pilot salaries of $30-50k just doesn't work. Several actual pilots shared their real experiences of financial struggle during those first few years. **Better alternatives exist:** Parent PLUS loans at 8.05%, credit unions at 6-7%, HELOCs if you have home equity, and even state-specific education loan programs many people don't know about. **Smart approach:** The Private Pilot License first strategy makes so much sense - $10-15k to test the waters before committing to $130k+ in debt. Plus it buys time to properly research financing options. I'm dealing with my own child's expensive program costs and this thread has been incredibly educational. The specific lender recommendations (Citizens Bank, Navy Federal, BECU) and the advice about reviewing FAFSA for errors are actionable steps I'm going to take for my own situation. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences and expertise. This is exactly the kind of community knowledge that can save families from making devastating financial mistakes!

As a parent who went through this exact same confusion last year, I just wanted to say you're asking all the right questions! The CSS Profile process is definitely not as intuitive as it should be. Everyone here has given you fantastic advice - your daughter creates the CSS Profile through her existing College Board account (same one used for SAT), and then she can share the parent section with you via a secure email link. One thing I'd add that really helped us was to treat the CSS Profile like a major project rather than something to rush through. We blocked off a Saturday morning, gathered all our financial documents in advance, and worked through it methodically. The parent section alone took us about 90 minutes to complete thoroughly, but having everything organized beforehand made a huge difference. Also, don't be surprised if the aid estimates from CSS schools end up being quite different from what your FAFSA SAI suggests - sometimes better, sometimes worse, depending on how each school's methodology treats things like home equity and retirement savings. The key is just getting accurate information submitted by those early decision deadlines. You're being smart to tackle this now rather than scrambling at the last minute. Your daughter is lucky to have such a proactive parent helping navigate this process!

As a newcomer to this whole college financial aid process, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared such detailed and helpful advice! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational. I'm currently helping my younger brother navigate his college applications, and I had no idea there was even a difference between FAFSA and CSS Profile until recently. The explanation about the student creating the CSS Profile through their existing College Board account and then using the "Share Application" feature for parents makes so much sense. I was also confused about whether parents needed separate accounts. It's really reassuring to see so many parents who have successfully navigated this process sharing their real-world experiences and practical tips. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread and follow the advice about gathering all financial documents in advance and treating it like a major project rather than something to rush through. The tip about checking which schools require CSS for merit scholarships (not just need-based aid) is something I never would have thought to verify. Thanks to this community for being such a valuable resource during what can be such a stressful time for families!

As a financial aid advisor, I want to emphasize how important it is to be accurate with investment reporting. I see so many families get tripped up during verification because they misunderstood what to include. The golden rule is simple: if you can liquidate it today and it's not in a qualified retirement account, report it. This includes employer stock grants, RSUs that have vested, ESPP purchases, and any other securities held in taxable accounts. One often-missed detail: if you have any cryptocurrency holdings (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) in platforms like Coinbase or Kraken, those are considered investments too and must be reported at current market value. Same goes for precious metals, collectibles with significant value, or alternative investments. Also, when reporting net worth, remember to subtract any margin debt or loans against your investments. If you borrowed $5,000 against your portfolio, and your investments are worth $25,000, you'd report $20,000 net worth. The verification process has gotten much stricter in recent years, so accuracy up front saves major headaches later!

This is such a timely thread! I'm dealing with the exact same confusion right now. My husband has stock from two different employers - some from his current company through their employee stock purchase plan, and some from his previous company that he received as part of a retention bonus. Both are just sitting in regular brokerage accounts since we haven't figured out our long-term plan for them yet. Reading through everyone's responses, it's crystal clear now that we need to report both sets of employer stock since they're not in retirement accounts. I was getting hung up on the fact that one was a "bonus" and the other was "purchased through payroll deduction" but I see now that the source doesn't matter - it's all about the account type. One follow-up question though: if we sell some of these stocks before submitting the FAFSA (we were already thinking about diversifying anyway), would that help or hurt our aid eligibility? I'm wondering if having cash instead of stocks changes how it's treated on the FAFSA, or if it's basically the same either way since both would be reported as assets.

I'm so glad you found this thread and that there's some progress being made! As someone who's been through the appeals process before (though not for FAFSA), I'd recommend keeping detailed records of every conversation you have with your financial aid office - dates, names, what was discussed, etc. It really helps if you need to follow up or escalate later. Also, don't be afraid to ask for a timeline on your appeal - they should be able to give you at least a rough estimate of when you'll hear back. Wishing you the best of luck with your appointment tomorrow!

I'm really glad to see this thread and all the helpful advice! As someone new to this community, I wanted to share that I'm dealing with a very similar situation. My SAI also increased dramatically this year even though I'm on SSDI and my financial situation hasn't changed at all. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly valuable - especially learning about the Professional Judgment appeals and the issues with question 38 on the FAFSA. I had no idea that disability income might be getting miscategorized in the new system. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge and resources. I'm going to start the appeal process at my school right away and double-check how I reported my disability income. It's both frustrating and reassuring to know I'm not alone in this situation!