Thank you all for the helpful advice! I'm going to wait 3-5 business days to see if the tax information imports correctly. I'll make sure to save my progress but won't submit until everything is complete. If it doesn't import after 5 days, I'll contact Federal Student Aid (and maybe try that Claimyr service if I can't get through). I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences - this is my first time filling out FAFSA and it's more complicated than I expected!

That sounds like a solid plan! Just wanted to add that you can check the status of your tax data import by logging back into your FAFSA and looking at the "My FAFSA" page - there should be a status indicator showing whether the tax information is still pending or has been successfully imported. Also, don't stress too much about this being your first FAFSA - the process has gotten more streamlined over the years, and the automatic tax import actually makes things easier once it works. You're doing everything right by being cautious and asking questions!

That's a really good point I hadn't considered. I'll definitely keep this in mind when we file his 2024 taxes. Thank you for all the helpful information!

Just want to add another perspective as someone who works in financial aid - the confusion around the new FAFSA timeline is totally understandable! You're absolutely right that for 2025-2026, you'll use 2023 tax info, and since your son's grants/scholarships were received in 2024, they won't impact that FAFSA at all. One tip: when you do file the 2025-2026 FAFSA, make sure to double-check that you're entering your son's 2023 income correctly (from his summer job). A lot of families accidentally put $0 for student income when the student did work that year, which can trigger verification if the IRS data doesn't match. Also, keep all your 2023 tax documents organized - the new FAFSA pulls most info directly from the IRS, but you might still need them for verification or if there are any discrepancies. Good luck with the process!

When my daughter was in this situation, we had to make the tough choice between her dream out-of-state school and the affordable in-state option. She chose the affordable route and honestly? BEST DECISION EVER. She graduated with minimal debt and is now in her dream graduate program. Not saying your son should give up his dream school, but don't discount the extreme financial burden of that $10K gap EVERY YEAR for four years. That's $40K+ with interest if you're borrowing. Sometimes the practical choice sets them up for better long-term success and graduate school options.

As someone who works in higher education, I want to add a few more resources that might help bridge that gap: 1. Check if the university offers emergency or bridge loans - these are short-term, low-interest loans specifically for situations like yours while waiting on scholarship decisions 2. Look into cooperative education (co-op) programs in engineering - many allow students to alternate semesters of study with paid work experience, which can significantly offset costs 3. Contact the engineering department directly about research assistantships or tutoring positions - these often come with tuition remission or stipends 4. Some universities have "completion grants" or "retention scholarships" that aren't widely advertised but are available for students who might not enroll due to small funding gaps 5. Consider reaching out to alumni networks in your area - many have informal scholarship programs or mentorship opportunities that include financial support The timing is frustrating, but don't lose hope! Many families piece together funding from multiple sources, and engineering programs often have more departmental funding available than other majors. Keep advocating for your son - the squeaky wheel often gets the grease in financial aid offices.

For anyone dealing with this issue: document everything. Take screenshots of submission confirmations, save all emails, and note the dates of any calls or attempts to resolve the issue. If your aid is delayed because of FAFSA processing problems beyond your control, having this documentation can help your school's financial aid office work with you on deadline extensions.

As someone who just went through this exact situation last month, I can confirm that the signature issue after corrections is super common but fixable! The key thing to remember is that ANY change to your FAFSA invalidates all previous signatures - even if the person didn't make the actual correction. So if you corrected income info, both you AND your parent need to sign again. Log into studentaid.gov, go to your FAFSA, and look for the "Sign & Submit" section. You'll probably see that one signature is missing. Once you get both signatures in, it should process within a week. Also, definitely email your financial aid office to give them a heads up about the delay - they're usually understanding about FAFSA processing issues that are out of your control.

Thank you all for the advice. We're going to have our daughter take out the maximum in her own name first ($5,500 for freshman year), then use Parent PLUS for the remainder. We'll also appeal the financial aid offer to see if they can do any better given some medical expenses we had last year that weren't reflected in our FAFSA. Still disappointed about the loan forgiveness limitations, but at least we have a clearer picture now of what we're getting into. We'll likely use that Claimyr service to confirm everything directly with FSA before signing anything.

Just wanted to add that you should also check if your daughter's school participates in any state-specific loan forgiveness programs for teachers. Some states have their own teacher loan forgiveness programs that might have different eligibility requirements than federal PSLF. Since your wife is already in education, she might know about these programs or have colleagues who've used them. Also, make sure to keep detailed records of all your Parent PLUS loan payments and your wife's employment at the Title I school - even though Parent PLUS loans aren't directly eligible for PSLF, the rules around federal loan programs do sometimes change, and having documentation could be helpful if new forgiveness options become available in the future.