also check fastweb.com for scholarships! my son got a $2500 one from some random company that literally only had like 30 applicants. most people just dont bother applying to the smaller ones

Don't forget to complete the CSS Profile if Norfolk State requires it. Many private scholarships and institutional aid programs require this additional form. It's more detailed than the FAFSA and can sometimes help identify additional need that the FAFSA's SAI calculation misses. Also, has your daughter received her admission letter only, or a complete financial aid package? Sometimes the initial acceptance doesn't include all potential scholarships - those might come in a separate communication.

my sister ignored that email last year and everything was fine for her freshman year. the fafsa system just sends those out to everyone i think. as long as u did the 24-25 one ur daughter should be good

Just to clarify a common misunderstanding - the 2023-2024 FAFSA covers Summer 2023, Fall 2023, and Spring 2024. The 2024-2025 FAFSA covers Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025. Since your daughter is starting in Fall 2024, she only needs the 2024-2025 form unless she takes summer courses before fall semester. If you're still concerned, you can always call your daughter's college financial aid office directly. They can confirm exactly which forms they need for incoming freshmen.

I just wanted to circle back to your original question about loans not affecting YOUR credit. To be perfectly clear:\n\n• Federal Direct Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) are in your SON'S name only and won't affect your credit\n• They don't require a credit check\n• They offer income-based repayment options after graduation\n• They qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness if he works in qualifying jobs\n• They can be consolidated and have fixed interest rates\n\nThese are BY FAR the best option, but unfortunately, they're limited to that $5,500 freshman year amount.\n\nFor everything beyond that, either you take Parent PLUS (in your name, affects your credit) or your son takes private loans (likely needs you as cosigner, which affects your credit).\n\nThere's no perfect solution that meets all your criteria, but I would absolutely max out the Federal Direct Loans first, then consider a combo of payment plans, work-study, and possibly Parent PLUS for the smallest amount possible.

Thank you for breaking this down so clearly! I definitely understand better now. It sounds like we should focus on maximizing all other options (scholarships, payment plans, work-study) to minimize what we need to borrow beyond the Federal Direct Loans. I appreciate everyone's help - this process is so much more complicated than I expected!

Just wanted to add one more tip: while you're working on the technical fix, email UT Austin's financial aid office with:\n\n1. Student's name and any ID numbers they've assigned\n2. A screenshot of your FAFSA confirmation showing they were selected\n3. Your FAFSA ID (not the password, just the username)\n4. The date you originally submitted\n\nMany schools will put a hold on your file to prevent it from being marked late while technical issues are resolved. The key is documenting that you submitted everything correctly and on time, which protects your priority status for aid consideration.

That's really smart - I'll send that email right now with all the documentation. Thank you!

my cousin works for the dept of education and she said they're literally just putting paper forms in storage boxes right now because they cant keep up. they prioritize online applications cause of some new system they switched to. definitely do online!!!!

Quick update based on recent Department of Education announcements: if you do submit online now, make sure you check the box indicating you previously submitted a paper form. This will flag your application for review to prevent duplicate SAI calculations. And remember that for the 2025-2026 cycle, you'll need to have your and your parents' 2023 tax information ready for the online form.