I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same issue right now with my son's FAFSA application. We've been stuck on this SSN validation error for two days and I was starting to panic about missing deadlines. Going to try the cache clearing and start over method right now. It's honestly ridiculous that such a critical system has these kinds of bugs - how many students are getting delayed or giving up because of technical issues like this? Really appreciate everyone sharing their solutions and workarounds here!

I just went through this exact same nightmare last month! The SSN validation issue seems to be affecting a lot of people. One thing that worked for me that I haven't seen mentioned yet - make sure you're not using autofill or password managers when entering the SSN. The FAFSA system seems to have issues with auto-populated fields. I had to manually type each digit, wait a second between each one, and then it finally accepted it. Also, if you have multiple tabs open with FAFSA, close all of them except one - the system gets confused with multiple sessions. The whole thing is so poorly designed it's embarrassing for something this important to students' futures.

Going back to your original question - another option is to have your son request his aid summary directly from Federal Student Aid and share it with you. He can download a PDF from his account that shows all federal loans and grants. This way, you don't need his login information, and you'll have documentation you can keep for your records. Much easier than trying to remember multiple logins!

Just wanted to add - if you're planning to help with loan management after graduation, consider having your son set up a third-party authorization with his loan servicer now while he's still in school. This lets you access payment info and make payments on his behalf without needing his login credentials. Each servicer has their own process, but it's much easier to set up before the loans go into repayment. Learned this with my older daughter and it saved so much hassle later!

I'm going through something similar right now! My daughter is also a senior and we just got our SAI back at $12,800 which was much higher than expected. Like others mentioned, the new FAFSA formula really does seem to hit middle-income families harder. One thing that helped me was using the Federal Student Aid estimator BEFORE submitting to get a realistic expectation - I wish I had known about it earlier. Also, don't forget that many state schools have their own need-based aid programs that use different criteria than federal aid, so your actual out-of-pocket costs could still be manageable even with a higher SAI. Keep your chin up and definitely pursue that Professional Judgment review with documentation of your medical expenses!

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child last year, I want to echo what others have said about not panicking over the SAI number. We had a similar situation - household income around $90k, single parent, and got an SAI of $16,500 which felt crushing at first. But here's what I learned: many schools ended up offering much better aid packages than that number suggested. My daughter received merit aid, institutional grants, and work-study opportunities that brought our actual cost down significantly. The key is applying to a good mix of schools - some that meet full demonstrated need, some with strong merit aid programs, and definitely your in-state public options. Also, start that Professional Judgment documentation process early if you have special circumstances. Don't let one number discourage you from pursuing all your options!

Brooklyn, this has been such an inspiring thread to follow! Your story really demonstrates that financial aid offices are often much more understanding and flexible than we expect, especially during this challenging FAFSA cycle with all the technical issues. I wanted to add one more tip for anyone else in a similar situation: when you do get your SAI back and have that follow-up conversation with financial aid, come prepared with specific questions. Ask about work-study opportunities, payment plan options, and whether there are any departmental scholarships you might still be eligible for. Some academic departments have their own scholarship funds that operate on different timelines than general institutional aid. Also, don't forget to check with your state's higher education agency about any remaining grant opportunities. Some states have rolling deadlines or emergency aid programs that might still be available. Your proactive approach and willingness to advocate for yourself really paid off. Thanks for sharing your journey - it's going to help so many students realize that a missed deadline isn't the end of their college dreams!

Brooklyn, what an incredible journey you've been on! Reading through this entire thread has been so encouraging - you went from thinking you might need a gap year to actually having real options for financial aid, all because you didn't give up and made that crucial phone call. Your experience really highlights something that I think gets lost in all the FAFSA deadline stress: financial aid officers are human beings who genuinely want to help students succeed. The fact that your school has a special consideration process for late applicants shows they understand that life happens and students sometimes make mistakes. I'm really impressed by how you handled this situation - instead of just panicking or assuming the worst, you took action by completing your FAFSA and then advocated for yourself by calling the financial aid office. That combination of personal responsibility and proactive communication made all the difference. This thread is going to be such a valuable resource for future students who find themselves in similar situations. You've basically created a roadmap for how to handle late FAFSA applications: submit immediately, call your school, be honest about your circumstances, and don't assume you're out of options until you've actually explored them. Can't wait to hear your final update once everything gets sorted out with your SAI results. Thanks for sharing your story and turning what started as a stressful situation into a learning opportunity for everyone!

I'm in a similar situation! What really helped me was creating a simple checklist of all the documents we'd need before even looking at the form - tax returns, bank statements, investment records, etc. Since you mentioned your son's father struggles with technology, having everything organized ahead of time makes the actual online completion much smoother. Also, if you're planning to help guide them through it, you might want to practice with the FAFSA demo tool first (it's on the FSA website) - it shows exactly how the online form flows without actually submitting anything. The demo helped me understand which sections would be confusing for my ex-husband so I could prepare explanations in advance.

One thing I learned the hard way is to make sure you're looking at the 2025-26 FAFSA specifically, not an older version. The FSA website sometimes shows multiple years and it's easy to accidentally download the wrong one. Also, since you mentioned helping your son's father who isn't comfortable with technology, you might want to consider doing a practice run together using the demo tool first, then having all the documents ready when you tackle the real form. The new FAFSA is supposed to be simpler, but the contributor sections can still be tricky for divorced parents. Good luck!