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Update: My SAR finally came through! For anyone else looking, the SAI is right at the top of the first page with a heading that says \
Great news! Your SAI essentially represents what the federal government believes your family can contribute annually toward college costs. It's not the exact amount you'll pay - it's used by schools to calculate your financial need (Cost of Attendance minus SAI). A lower SAI means you qualify for more need-based aid. Each school will use this number to create a unique financial aid package for you. Make sure to compare these packages carefully when they arrive!
UPDATE: We tried incognito mode on Chrome AND disabled Norton password manager - IT WORKED! We were able to complete the spouse section without any cursor jumping. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. For anyone else with this problem, definitely try disabling any password managers or autofill programs first.
Great news! Glad that solved it for you. The new FAFSA system is definitely more sensitive to browser extensions than the old one was.
my daughter had this problem too but in her case it was because she was using an older version of Safari. its amazing how poorly tested the new FAFSA system is when so many families depend on this for college!!!! govt should be embarrassed.
EXACTLY! They had THREE EXTRA MONTHS to test everything since they delayed the launch, and it's STILL full of bugs! And they wonder why people get frustrated with the financial aid process...SMH
I just want to add that my daughter's college financial aid office is holding special FAFSA workshops to help parents navigate the new system. Maybe check if your son's school offers something similar? Our college financial aid officer said they've been getting HUNDREDS of calls about the exact same issues you're describing.
That's a great suggestion! I'll check with the university to see if they're offering any help sessions. Sounds like they must be getting flooded with confused parents like me.
One final tip to keep in mind - the new FAFSA calculates the Student Aid Index (SAI) differently than the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Even with the same financial information, your son's aid eligibility might be different than in previous years. The new formula adjusts for family size differently, changes how multiple students in college are counted, and modifies asset protection allowances. So don't be surprised if your final aid offer looks different than previous years, even if your financial situation hasn't changed much. The good news is that the overall Pell Grant eligibility has expanded under the new system, so many students may qualify for more federal grant aid than before.
wait what?? so even if our finances are the same we might get LESS aid?? thats terrrrible news for us. my daughter really relies on her financial aid package ðŸ˜
It depends on your specific situation - some families will get more aid, others might get less. The changes benefit families with multiple children in college, Pell Grant eligible students, and certain low-income scenarios. But yes, some middle-income families might see reductions. That's why it's crucial to complete the FAFSA as early as possible and be proactive about communicating with the financial aid office if you have concerns.
Update: I verified this is legitimate by logging directly into my studentaid.gov account (not through the email link). There was a notification about the beta test in my message center. I've started the test application and it does look much improved! The contributor section especially seems way more straightforward than last year's confusing mess.
wait i'm confused...is this different from teh regular FAFSA? i thought the FAFSA always opens in october...so is this like a early version or something totally different?
This is a test version of next year's FAFSA (for the 2025-2026 school year). The regular FAFSA for 2025-2026 will still open in October as usual. This beta test doesn't replace the regular application - it's just to help the Department of Education find and fix problems before the official launch. If you participate in the beta, you'll still need to complete the regular FAFSA when it opens in October.
ohhhh ok that makes more sense! so its not worth doing unless you really want to help them test. thx for explaining
Sofia Torres
am i the only one who thinks its crazy we have to jump through all these hoops?? one wrong click shouldnt take MONTHS to fix. my cousin had to drop out for a semester bc of fafsa delays
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•You're absolutely right. The system is designed to punish students for simple mistakes instead of helping them. And it disproportionately hurts first-generation college students who don't have parents familiar with the financial aid process.
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Mei Wong
UPDATE: Following advice here, I contacted my daughter's college financial aid office and explained the situation. They're submitting a Professional Judgment request and gave us a special form documenting the dependency status error. They said this happens A LOT with the new system. Still waiting for resolution but at least we have a path forward now. Will update when we (hopefully) get this fixed!
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Amara Okafor
•That's excellent news! The Professional Judgment route is usually the fastest solution. Make sure they specifically note it as an "inadvertent error correction" rather than a "dependency override request" - those are processed differently. Keep us posted!
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