i withdrawn from classes last semester too and got hit with a bill.... its total bs how they dont explain this to u when u sign up for classes!!!! like how am i supposed to know all these rules??? the FAFSA system is so confusing and nobody explains anything until its too late

Something everyone is missing - make sure you check if your withdrawal has put you in SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) violation too. If you failed to complete 67% of your attempted credits, you might lose future aid eligibility on top of owing this money. Dealing with both issues at once is important.

This happened to us, and what worked was having my daughter's high school counselor call the university directly. They have established relationships with admissions offices and can sometimes cut through the red tape faster than parents can. Worth a try if you're running out of time!

Here's something important to understand: the May 1st deadline is part of something called the "National Candidate Reply Date Agreement" that most colleges follow. If a school participates in this agreement AND they haven't provided you with a complete financial aid offer, they are actually obligated to extend your decision deadline. In fact, this scenario is specifically addressed in their guidelines. You have a legitimate case to request an extension if you haven't received complete financial information. Make sure to mention this specific agreement when you communicate with them.

Based on everything shared here, you're dealing with two separate issues: 1. FAFSA dependency status - determines whose income is counted for aid calculation 2. State residency for tuition purposes - determines in-state vs out-of-state rates For #1, you need the Dependency Override I mentioned earlier. For #2, you need to follow the specific residency appeal process for your Michigan university, which should include: - Documentation of 12+ months physical presence - Proof of financial ties to Michigan - Evidence you've cut ties with Nevada - Documentation of your aunt's legal relationship to you I recommend scheduling a meeting with both the residency determination office AND the financial aid office together, so they can coordinate. Often these departments don't communicate well with each other, which leaves students caught in the middle.

u should also check if ur schol has hardship grants or emergency aid. my friend got like $5000 when his tuition went up and he couldnt pay

one more thing nobody mentioned is that some schools have payment plans so you dont have to pay everything at once. my school lets me pay in 4 payments over the semester and it doesnt cost extra

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful advice! I'm feeling much less panicked now. My plan is to: 1. Finish my FAFSA this weekend (with parents' info) 2. Create that spreadsheet showing different payment scenarios 3. Have a serious talk with my parents about exactly what they can commit to 4. Look into payment plans when I get my financial aid package I'll update once I have my SAI and financial aid offer. Fingers crossed for a decent Pell Grant! 🤞

Update for everyone: The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators released a statement today indicating that as of April 8th, only about 33% of FAFSA applications have been fully processed and transmitted to institutions. They're advocating for ED to provide daily processing updates and a firm timeline. Many schools are now creating their own institutional methodologies to generate preliminary aid packages while waiting for official SAI scores. If you absolutely need to make a decision soon, ask financial aid offices about these temporary solutions.

I want to thank everyone for their responses! I called my daughter's top three schools today and got varied responses: School 1: Extended deadline to June 1, offering estimated packages by April 25th School 2: Still holding firm on May 1 deadline but will refund deposits if aid doesn't match expectations School 3: Created an institutional methodology form we can fill out to get an estimated package within a week This is all so stressful, but I feel better knowing we're not alone in dealing with it. Will update if I learn anything new.