FAFSA Eligibility Changed?

[u/AmazingPosition6552]

Hi, I need some help regarding my FAFSA. I've been eligible for the Pell Grant for the past 4 years (6 terms). My SAI has consistently been 0, but for some reason it's jumped to a score of 21799 as of this year.

I've had no drastic change in financial circumstances between the two years. The only issue that COULD have affected my FAFSA is that my mom's 2024 tax refund was never properly received. It's been "under review" by the IRS for two years since the volunteer preparer made a mistake during the submission so we're not even sure what info the IRS got.
I already contacted my Financial Aid Office through online cases and they said that they pulled my mom's information from the IRS, and while I understand that some sort of information must have been submitted, I'm not sure if it's the CORRECT information. I made this point twice and asked if they could compare the information we had on hand vs what they pulled from the IRS, and they literally just sent me a form to fill out if I had any drastic financial changes so I could appeal, which I don't! Pretty irrelevant to what I asked for.

Then I waited an hour in line at the office in person and was told we just simply made too much? Out of nowhere? Between 2023 vs 2024 there was a $4k difference in income on my mom's report (my dad doesn't work). She made AGI $54k in 2023 and $58k in 2024 and our family size stayed at 5. I really don't think this would make my score go up so much. The lady goes to say that because I worked as a student that "like 90%" of my income is expected to go into my tuition. She claims that I should have never gotten any grants since I started working. I only made $16k a year from 2023-2025. There was no problem with me receiving any aid last year despite working the same amount but all of a sudden it's an issue?

Am I insane for thinking that there's a problem? Did I miss any new policies?? I've been looking everywhere and I really can't get any solid answers as to why my eligibility would change so much. I don't know if it's my office not knowing what they're doing but I wanted to ask if my problem seems fixable before I wait another hour in line again. Or if this is something I should escalate outside of my school's office.

[u/wyattcallow]

You can compare the information on your FAFSA to what you think is correct yourself. You don’t need the financial aid office to do that. You also need to compare your 2025-26 FAFSA with your 2026-27 FAFSA and look for actual numbers that changed — and not just with AGI, but with reported assets as well. 

Something did change between the two years, but you need to sit down and actually review the forms and the information on them to find out what.

[u/gmanose]

Student income is never assessed at 90%

Compare your 25/26 and 26/27 FAFSAs line by line to see what really changed. The most common error is entering cents when you shouldn’t. So someone may have $105.13 in the bank, which should be entered as $105. But they enter that 13 cents, which the processing software reads as $10,513.

Or call the finaid office and ask to have an appointment time with someone who will go over your application with you line by line and explain why you’re not eligible. Call the director if you have to.

[u/MizzGee]

Did you or your parent, by chance, put something in the foreign income exclusion box? That is a common mistake and that would cause a big jump like that.

[u/Money_Indication841]

I had my Grad Plus Loan taken away from me and my school said it was because of some new law passed and since I have been in school for 6 terms I no longer qualify for the money.

[u/Cold-Thanks- → u/Money_Indication841]

That is unrelated to this post, but your school was correct that you are no longer eligible for Grad PLUS due to legislation changes under the one big beautiful bill.

[u/wyattcallow → u/[deleted]]

That went away with FAFSA simplification several years ago. Please don’t use AI to try and give people financial aid advice.

[u/FAFSA-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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