After seeing your responses to other comments, I want to follow up with some additional advice. Since you mentioned your hours were cut after FAFSA submission, that's EXACTLY what professional judgment reviews are designed for! Make sure to: 1. Document the reduction in hours/income (pay stubs, letter from employer) 2. Calculate the projected annual income difference 3. Submit a formal appeal letter specifically requesting "professional judgment review due to income reduction" With your already negative SAI, further reduction could potentially qualify your son for increased institutional aid or additional state grants. Don't be discouraged if your first request is denied - persistence often pays off with financial aid offices.

It's usually best to call first to learn their specific process - some schools have forms while others want a letter. Mention specifically that you've had an "income reduction since FAFSA filing" and ask about their "professional judgment review process." This uses their terminology and signals you understand the system. One more option: see if your son can get on the housing waitlist for the lowest-cost dorm options. Sometimes spots open up last minute when other students decide not to attend.

I blame the entire new SAI formula change. They rushed implementation without proper testing and now millions of students are dealing with these technical nightmares. My daughter might have to commit to a school without knowing what aid she's getting because of these delays!!

Update for everyone following this thread: FSA just announced they're releasing a new batch of signature correction capabilities next Monday. If you check your studentaid.gov account after May 1st, you should be able to complete the missing signatures. They're gradually rolling out fixes, so don't panic if you don't see it immediately.

Has anyone had success getting through to the Federal Student Aid phone line? I've been trying for days and either get disconnected or told the wait is over 3 hours!

UPDATE: I thought I should share what finally worked in case anyone else has similar issues: 1. For my daughter's missing parent signature: I followed the advice to completely log out, then log back in with MY FSA ID (not hers). The parent signature option was then visible at the end of the form! Completed it and that application is now fully processed. 2. For my son's SAI calculation error: It was indeed a mismatch between marital status and tax filing status. I had to correct my tax filing status to match how we actually filed. After updating that information and resubmitting, the SAI was calculated correctly within 48 hours! Thank you all for your help - this forum saved me so much time and stress. And for anyone else dealing with these issues, definitely document everything as suggested and don't be afraid to reach out to FSA directly if you're still stuck after trying these solutions.

have u looked at michigan state instead of u of m? my brother goes there and its cheaper and he got better scholarships! might be less competitive too

That's a good suggestion. I think his heart is set on Michigan because of his girlfriend, but we should at least visit MSU while we're out there. Do you know if their out-of-state tuition is significantly less?

Just wanted to follow up - were you able to resolve this? If you're still having issues, I'd recommend calling your state's higher education assistance authority. Many have dedicated FAFSA support teams that can help with verification issues specifically. They often have direct lines to the FSA's technical team that regular callers can't access.

We made some progress! We tried multiple suggestions here - switched browsers, resubmitted using my FSA ID instead of my son's, and used Claimyr to finally reach someone helpful. They found that our foreign income was flagging the system and helped us submit the right documentation. The status now shows \