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To directly answer your original question: 29515 is your Student Aid Index (SAI), which is a number that determines your eligibility for different types of federal, state, and institutional aid. It's neither inherently "good" nor "bad" - it's just a measure of your family's calculated ability to pay for college. The impact depends entirely on the cost of the schools you're applying to. If you're applying to schools with a total cost around $30k or less, you'll likely get minimal need-based aid. If you're applying to more expensive schools, you'll likely get some form of need-based aid to cover the difference.
Thanks for the clear explanation. I'm looking at schools ranging from $25k to $45k, so I guess I'll get very different packages. Will definitely apply for some private scholarships too!
Don't stress too much about the SAI number itself - what really matters is how each school uses it in their aid calculations. I had a similar SAI (around 28k) and ended up with very different aid packages from different schools. Some gave me nothing beyond loans, while others offered decent institutional grants that brought my costs down significantly. Also, make sure you're applying for scholarships outside of need-based aid! Merit scholarships don't care about your SAI at all. And if you haven't already, check if your state has any grant programs - some have income cutoffs that might work in your favor even with your current SAI.
This is really encouraging to hear! I've been so focused on the federal aid that I haven't really looked into state programs yet. Do you know if there's like a central place to find state grant info, or do I need to check each state's education department website? Also totally agree on the merit scholarships - I should probably spend more time on those applications instead of worrying about this SAI number!
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I'm in a similar situation with my SAI being higher than expected! One thing that helped me was creating a comprehensive list of all our family's financial obligations that might not be obvious from the FAFSA - things like caring for elderly grandparents, medical expenses, or other dependents. Even if these don't directly change your SAI, having this information ready can be really helpful when you meet with your school's financial aid office for a professional judgment review. Also, definitely double-check that retirement accounts weren't mistakenly reported as assets - that's a super common error that can inflate your SAI significantly. Don't give up hope yet - there are still options to explore!
This is really helpful advice! I hadn't thought about documenting all our family expenses that might not show up on the FAFSA. We do help support my grandma with some medical costs, and my mom has been dealing with some health issues that created unexpected bills. Even if it doesn't change the SAI calculation, having that information ready for the financial aid office meeting sounds like a smart approach. Thanks for the encouragement - it's easy to feel defeated when you see that high SAI number, but you're right that there are still avenues to explore!
Hey Dylan, I totally get how stressful this is! An SAI of 43,762 is definitely on the higher side, but don't lose hope. Since your sister is in college too, that should have helped lower your SAI somewhat already. A few things to consider: First, definitely double-check your FAFSA for errors - retirement accounts are a common mistake that can inflate your SAI. Second, even with limited need-based aid, you'll still qualify for unsubsidized federal loans and potentially Parent PLUS loans. Third, and this is important - many schools have institutional aid that doesn't follow federal formulas. Schedule a meeting with your financial aid office ASAP to discuss your family's actual financial situation. They might have discretion to offer additional help or put you on a payment plan. Also look into merit scholarships at your school based on your academics. The SAI is just one piece of the puzzle - don't give up!
Thank you so much for the comprehensive advice! You're right that I shouldn't give up - I was feeling pretty overwhelmed when I first saw that SAI number. I'm definitely going to schedule a meeting with the financial aid office this week to discuss our situation in detail. The point about institutional aid not following federal formulas gives me some hope. I'll also make sure to have my parents double-check the FAFSA for any errors, especially around retirement accounts since that seems to be a common issue. It's really encouraging to hear that there are still options even with a higher SAI. I appreciate you taking the time to lay out such a clear action plan!
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UPDATE: It's working again for me now! Just got in no problem. Try again, the site might be back to normal!
Just tried again and it worked! FINALLY! Thanks for the update. Looks like whatever issues they were having must be resolved now.
I'm dealing with the exact same issue! Been trying to log in for hours with no luck. Really glad to see from the recent updates that it's working again for some people - I'll keep trying. This whole FAFSA redesign has been such a nightmare this year. For anyone still having trouble, I've also heard that sometimes clearing your browser's stored passwords and typing everything manually can help, especially if there are any hidden characters or spaces saved in your login info. Fingers crossed this gets fully resolved soon!
Thanks for the tip about clearing stored passwords! I actually just got in after reading the recent updates here - it seems like the system is finally stabilized. The manual typing suggestion is really smart, especially since someone mentioned earlier that autofill was adding invisible spaces. It's crazy how many workarounds we have to figure out just to access a basic government service. Hope you get in soon too!
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That's awesome news! I'm so glad the browser switch worked for you. It's crazy how something as simple as using a different browser can fix such a major glitch. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread because I know I'll be helping other parents with FAFSA issues throughout the season. Your experience is going to help so many families who run into this same problem. Congrats on getting through what sounds like a really frustrating process!
This is such valuable information! I'm a college-bound senior and was dreading filling out the FAFSA after hearing all the horror stories about the new system. Reading through this thread has been super helpful - I'll definitely start with Firefox instead of Chrome and make sure to take screenshots of everything. It's really reassuring to see how supportive this community is when people run into these technical issues. Thanks for sharing your solution, it's going to save so many of us time and stress!
Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else who might find this thread! I had a similar issue where my daughter's dependency status kept switching back and forth between dependent and independent. What finally worked for us was clearing the browser cache AND logging out of any other government websites (like IRS, SSA) that we had open in other tabs. Apparently having multiple federal sites open simultaneously can cause session conflicts that mess with the FAFSA data. Also, if you're using a password manager, try temporarily disabling auto-fill for the FAFSA site - sometimes those can interfere with the form's JavaScript. The new FAFSA system is definitely buggy but these little tricks seem to help avoid the worst glitches!
Thanks for sharing these additional tips! The part about logging out of other government sites is really interesting - I never would have thought that could cause conflicts. I'm actually getting ready to help my younger sibling with their FAFSA next year, so I'm taking notes on all these workarounds. It's frustrating that we need so many tricks just to get a government form to work properly, but at least this community is great at sharing solutions. The password manager tip is especially helpful since I use one for everything. Really appreciate you adding to the knowledge base here!
Ryder Ross
Based on this discussion, it sounds like you should take three actions: 1. Submit a FAFSA correction to remove the retirement accounts as assets (only report contributions made during the tax year as untaxed income) 2. Contact your school's financial aid office to discuss your specific situation and see what institutional aid might be available 3. Ask about their Professional Judgment process if you have special circumstances not reflected on your FAFSA Your SAI of 19725 isn't unusually high for a family income of $72,000, but the retirement account issue could be artificially inflating it. After correction, you might see a meaningful reduction.
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Malia Ponder
•Thank you! I've already started the correction process online. It's such a relief to understand what this number means and to know there might be a way to get it lowered. I really appreciate everyone's help!
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Miguel Herrera
Just wanted to add another perspective here - I work at a state university's financial aid office and see this situation a lot. With your family income of $72K and an SAI of 19,725, you're right in that middle-class squeeze zone. However, don't lose hope! Many students in your situation still receive meaningful aid packages. Besides the federal aid others mentioned, check if your state has need-based grants (many do for families under $80K), and State University likely has institutional scholarships you can apply for separately. Also, once you submit that FAFSA correction removing the retirement accounts, your SAI should drop significantly - I've seen similar corrections reduce SAI by 8,000-12,000 points, which would put you much closer to Pell Grant eligibility. Keep us updated on how the correction goes!
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