As someone who just went through this process with my twin daughters last month, I can confirm what others have said - there's no central tracking system to see which schools have downloaded your FAFSA data. What I found most helpful was creating a spreadsheet with all the schools, their financial aid office contact info, and tracking when I contacted each one. I sent brief emails to all 8 schools (we cast a wide net!) asking for confirmation of FAFSA receipt, and most responded within 2-3 days. The ones that didn't respond to email, I called. It's extra work but gave me peace of mind, especially since we're dealing with such important deadlines and scholarship opportunities.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my son's FAFSA! Reading through all these responses has been so helpful. I think I'm going to combine a few of the strategies mentioned here - I'll check his Student Aid Index to confirm processing is complete, then send emails to all the schools on his list asking for confirmation of receipt. The spreadsheet idea from Dylan is perfect for keeping track of everything. It's honestly ridiculous that there isn't a built-in tracking system for something this critical, but at least now I have a game plan. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!

my daughters school is doing a FAFSA workshop for parents in October might want to see if your sons school does something similar? it was really helpful for us last time with all the confusing stuff about reporting assets and income

Just wanted to add one more thing that helped us - create a checklist or spreadsheet now to track all the different schools your son is considering and their specific financial aid requirements and deadlines. Some schools require additional forms like CSS Profile, institutional aid applications, or scholarship applications with earlier deadlines than the FAFSA. Having everything organized in one place made the whole process much less stressful when crunch time came. Also, don't forget to check if any schools he's interested in participate in state grant programs - those often have their own deadlines and requirements too!

My cousin had this problem and her college financial aid office actually helped her fix it. Have you tried going directly to your school? Sometimes they have direct lines to FSA that work better than the public numbers.

I just went through this exact same nightmare last month! The key is persistence and timing. I had success calling at 7:55 AM EST (5 minutes before they officially open) - somehow got through faster that way. When you do get connected, ask to speak with a "FAFSA Data Correction Specialist" specifically - regular customer service reps can't always make SSN changes. Also, make sure you have your FSA ID login info ready because they'll need to verify your account while you're on the phone. They fixed mine in about 15 minutes once I reached the right person. Don't give up - your financial aid is too important! The system is frustrating but it IS fixable. One more tip: if you get disconnected, call back immediately. Sometimes they can see you were just on a call and prioritize reconnecting you.

Hi there! I'm a financial aid counselor at a university (not yours obviously lol). Let me clarify a couple things: 1) Yes, you can borrow up to the Cost of Attendance minus other aid, so $16k sounds correct 2) HOWEVER, sometimes the COA used for calculating aid eligibility is different from what's published on websites. For example, if your daughter has a scholarship that covers books, her COA for loan purposes might be reduced 3) Parent Plus loans do have that origination fee, so if you need exactly $16k to hit her account, you'd need to borrow about $16,700 to account for the fee 4) The FSA is SLAMMED right now because of the FAFSA delays this year, so getting through on the phone is nearly impossible My advice: Submit the Parent Plus request for the amount you need plus a bit extra for the origination fee, then follow up with your specific school's financial aid office by email with any questions.

Just wanted to add one more thing that might help - if you're worried about borrowing too much, you can always request a partial cancellation of the Parent Plus loan before it disburses! I did this last year when my daughter got an unexpected scholarship after I'd already been approved for the full amount. You just need to contact the financial aid office in writing before the disbursement date. It's much easier to reduce the loan amount before disbursement than to return funds after they've been sent to your account. Also, some schools allow you to set up payment plans for part of the balance, so you might not need to borrow the full $16k if you can pay a portion out of pocket over the semester.

To clarify for those asking about consistency in aid packages: Federal aid (Pell Grants, subsidized loans) is fairly consistent based on your SAI. But institutional aid (grants from the college itself) varies DRAMATICALLY between schools. Some schools have billion-dollar endowments and can offer generous grants, while others have limited financial aid budgets. With a $1,500 SAI, your friend's daughter will get consistent federal aid anywhere, but the institutional grants could range from nothing to potentially covering the entire remaining gap. This is why comparing financial aid packages and potentially negotiating with the financial aid office is so important.

This is such a heartwarming situation - you're an amazing friend for helping her through this process! With that low SAI, she's in a great position for need-based aid. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is to make sure she's also looking into private scholarships from local organizations, her high school guidance office, and scholarship search engines like Fastweb. Even smaller $500-1000 scholarships can add up and help bridge any remaining gap. Also, once she gets her aid package, don't be afraid to ask the financial aid office about payment plans - many schools offer interest-free monthly payment options that can make even a remaining balance more manageable for families. The fact that she got into her dream school with a merit scholarship already shows she's an exceptional student, so I'm optimistic the aid package will work out!