Good news for you - I just checked and Mass Maritime does NOT require the CSS Profile, so that's not holding things up. Their website says financial aid packages should be released 2-3 weeks after FAFSA processing, so you're right at that window. If you can get through to the office, ask specifically if they need any verification documents. That's the most common holdup in aid packages - when they need additional tax documents or income verification.

UPDATE: I just checked Mass Maritime's financial aid website and they specifically state that all financial aid offers for Fall 2025 are being delayed by approximately 7-10 days due to FAFSA changes and processing issues. They're sending them out in batches based on application date. This is happening at many schools this year with the "new FAFSA" rollout causing nationwide delays. They should have communicated this better!

For National Guard members doing the typical one weekend per month plus two weeks in summer, they generally remain dependents if under 24 and not meeting other independence criteria. The military service that automatically confers independent status is active duty (not training). To directly answer your original question about multiple students: When you log into your FSA account as a parent, you'll see a dashboard that shows all students who have invited you as a contributor. You can toggle between their applications and complete your sections for each one. The system has improved in recent months - initially there were issues with the multiple student setup, but most have been resolved.

BTW tell ur son to check with the URI veterans office too, not just financial aid. My nephew got extra $ for books and stuff through some Guard education program that financial aid didnt even know about

We had to do this too with our FAFSA correction. Both my wife and I needed to authenticate separately, which was NOT the case in previous years. Just a heads up - after both of you authenticate and submit the correction, you'll probably get an email saying your "correction is being processed" and it can take 3-5 business days before your updated SAI is calculated. The whole system is frustratingly slow this year.

UPDATE: We finally got it fixed! Here's what worked for anyone dealing with the same issue: 1. I had to create my own FSA ID (took about 15 minutes) 2. We had to wait 48 hours for my FSA ID to fully verify with Social Security 3. We tried again, both authenticating separately 4. We removed the retirement account from assets 5. It took 4 business days but we just got notification that our SAI dropped by $12,000!!! THANKS everyone for your help. That $12k difference could mean thousands more in financial aid for our son's freshman year. So glad we fixed it!

we just bit the bullet and paid the off-campus deposit for our son. better safe than sorry imo. the apartment complex has a 2 week decision window so if by some miracle the fasfa comes through early and he gets on campus housing we can back out. check if any off campus places have flexible deposits!

After making some calls this morning based on advice here, I just wanted to update that our housing office is now offering a special "FAFSA delay" extension form! They said many families are in this exact situation, so they created a process where you can fill out a form explaining you're waiting on financial aid, and they'll extend your housing deadline until 2 weeks after your SAI score is processed. Might be worth asking if your daughter's school has something similar!

I didn't know this was possible! Her first choice school has been really helpful throughout this process, so I'll definitely ask if they can provide an estimated package. That would at least give us some idea of what we're looking at financially while we wait for the official SAI. Thank you for this suggestion!

UPDATE: We got it resolved!!! First, I used Claimyr to get through to an FSA agent who confirmed we were stuck in verification and added a note to our account. Then I sent the verification documents to all three schools. Her first-choice school was amazing - they processed everything within 48 hours and somehow that triggered the SAI to appear in the system!\n\nHer SAI is $13,842, which qualifies her for some need-based aid plus the full federal loans. Not as much aid as I hoped for, but at least she can attend with a manageable loan amount. The financial aid director even offered us a special circumstances review since my income has decreased since 2023.\n\nTHANK YOU to everyone who helped with advice. This forum literally saved my daughter's college plans!