Don't panic about the "processed" status - it's actually a good sign that your initial submission went through without any major errors! I went through this same anxiety last year. Here's what I learned: "processed" means the Department of Education has reviewed your basic information and calculated your SAI, but you're not necessarily done yet. Keep checking your studentaid.gov account and email regularly for the next few weeks. If you get selected for verification (about 1 in 3 chance), you'll get an email and see it in your account. The key is to respond quickly if they ask for additional documents. Also, make sure to check with each of your schools about their specific deadlines and whether they need any additional forms like the CSS Profile. Your SAI of 8750 actually puts you in a decent position for aid - you'll likely qualify for subsidized loans and potentially some grant money depending on the schools you're applying to. Just stay on top of checking your accounts and you'll be fine!

Ruby, I totally get your anxiety about this! I just went through the exact same thing last month. When my FAFSA showed "processed" I thought I was done, but then about 2 weeks later I got hit with verification. Honestly, the "processed" status is kind of misleading because it really just means they've done the initial data entry and calculated your SAI - but there are still several things that could happen. Your SAI of 8750 is actually not bad at all! I had a similar number and ended up getting a partial Pell Grant plus subsidized loans. The verification process was annoying but not terrible - just had to submit tax transcripts and fill out a worksheet. My biggest advice is to set up email notifications on studentaid.gov and check your account at least twice a week. Also, definitely look into whether your schools need CSS Profile because that caught me off guard. The whole system is designed to be confusing but you've got this! Keep us updated on how it goes.

One important thing to note: Many private universities actually require FAFSA completion for all students regardless of need - it's in their enrollment policies. Check your son's school handbook or financial aid website. Some will actually place registration holds if you don't complete it annually.

As someone new to navigating college finances, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my daughter starting college next year - we likely won't qualify for need-based aid but I was on the fence about completing the FAFSA. After reading everyone's experiences, especially about merit scholarships, work-study jobs, and unexpected circumstances, I'm definitely going to make it an annual priority. Better safe than sorry, and 20-30 minutes a year seems like a small investment to keep all doors open. Thanks everyone for sharing your real-world experiences!

Your SAI of 74,246 definitely puts you in a tough spot for need-based federal aid, but don't lose hope! I work as a financial aid advisor and see situations like yours regularly. A few things to keep in mind: The loss of the sibling discount with the new FAFSA really hit families hard - you're right to feel frustrated about that change. However, institutional aid policies vary WIDELY between schools. I've seen students with SAIs in the 70k range get substantial aid packages from private colleges with good endowments. Since you mentioned debt being a factor, document everything for your Professional Judgment appeals: credit card payments, medical debt, any unusual expenses. Some schools are more generous with special circumstances than others. Also consider this: your SAI stays relatively stable year to year (barring major income changes), so whatever aid you receive will likely continue. Don't just look at freshman year costs - think about the full 4-year picture when making your decision. Keep applying for merit scholarships too - those don't care about your SAI at all!

I'm new to this whole financial aid process and reading through everyone's experiences here is both scary and helpful! My SAI came back at 81,000 which seems even worse than yours, but seeing that some people with similar numbers still got decent aid packages gives me a tiny bit of hope. One thing I'm wondering - for those who did the Professional Judgment appeals, how long did it take to hear back from schools? I'm trying to figure out timing since I need to make my college decision by May 1st. Also, did any of you have success getting your SAI actually recalculated, or did schools just offer additional institutional aid while keeping the original SAI the same? Thanks for all the detailed advice in this thread - it's way more helpful than anything I could find on official websites!

Hi Marcelle! Welcome to the community! I just went through this exact situation last year when my mom remarried right before I started college. The anxiety about double-counting is so real - I remember losing sleep over it! Just want to add one thing that really helped us: when you're gathering all the asset information to report, make sure you have the account balances as of the same date for both you and your husband. The FAFSA asks for assets "as of the date you submit the application," but sometimes people pull account statements from different dates which can cause confusion during verification. Also, if your daughter's schools use CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, be prepared - they handle stepparent income differently and you might need to provide even more detailed explanations about the remarriage timing there. The good news is that financial aid officers really do understand these situations since remarriage during the college years is super common. Most of them have standard procedures for handling it. You're being so proactive by asking these questions early - that's going to make the whole process smoother!

Hi Marcelle! Welcome to the community! I'm new here too and just went through a very similar situation with my remarriage in early 2023. Reading your post brought back all the anxiety I felt about the FAFSA process! I wanted to share something that might help ease your worries - when I called the FSA helpline (eventually got through using one of those callback services someone mentioned), the representative actually walked me through exactly how the contributor system works. She explained that the system has built-in safeguards to prevent double-counting because it links all the FSA IDs in a household together. So when your husband creates his FSA ID and signs as a contributor, the system already knows he's your spouse and won't ask him to re-enter asset information. One thing that helped me was keeping a simple log of every step in the process - when I submitted the FAFSA, when my husband got his FSA ID, when verification was completed, etc. It made me feel more in control of what felt like a really overwhelming process. The remarriage timing issue is definitely frustrating (why should his 2022 income count when he wasn't even part of our family then?), but I was pleasantly surprised that 4 out of 5 schools my daughter applied to were willing to do professional judgment reviews. The appeals really can make a significant difference in your aid package. You're asking all the right questions and being so thoughtful about the process. Hang in there - it's stressful now but it does get resolved!

I'm in a similar situation - SAI of 21,450 with parents making about $80k. What really helped me was creating a spreadsheet to track all my aid offers as they came in. Don't just look at the total aid amount, but break down grants vs loans vs work-study. Some schools that seemed expensive initially ended up being more affordable after aid. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you've applied to your state's grant programs - many have deadlines separate from FAFSA and can provide additional funding even with higher SAI scores. The CSS Profile schools might also offer more institutional aid if you're applying to any of those.

Hey! I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and your situation sounds really similar to mine. My SAI came back at 22,315 and I was also panicking thinking I wouldn't get any aid at all. Reading through these responses has been super helpful though - it sounds like there's still hope for some grants and definitely loans/work-study options. The thing about having a sibling in college at the same time is really reassuring too since my sister will be starting her sophomore year when I'm a freshman. Did you end up getting your 1099 income situation sorted out? I'm wondering if my family might have a similar issue since my mom does some freelance work on the side.