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The impact of the SAI vs. EFC change depends on your specific financial situation. Generally: - Middle-income families with multiple children in college may see LESS aid (the "sibling discount" was reduced) - Lower-income families may see MORE aid due to increased income protection allowances - Families with more complex financial situations (divorce, multiple contributors) might see significant changes either way Since you mentioned being on the edge of qualifying, I'd recommend using one of the new FAFSA forecasting tools to estimate your SAI before submitting. The Federal Student Aid website has resources, or you can use tools from organizations like SwiftStudent or the College Board.
This is really helpful, thank you! We do have another child starting college in 2025, so the reduced sibling discount is concerning. I'll look into those forecasting tools right away.
btw i heard they changed the name from EFC to SAI cuz too many parents thought "estimated family contribution" meant that was all they had to pay for college lol. now its just a number that doesnt mean anything specific
That's EXACTLY what I thought when my first kid went to college!! I was like "we can afford $5000 a year" and then got hit with bills for WAY more than that. The whole system is designed to confuse parents!
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also tell her to check if schools need the CSS Profile too not just FAFSA!!!! my kid missed out on aid from NYU cuz we didnt know they needed both smh
This is absolutely crucial advice. Many private schools and some public universities require both the FAFSA and CSS Profile. The CSS Profile is more detailed and lets schools use their own methodology for calculating aid. Even with a -1500 SAI, missing the CSS Profile deadline could mean losing out on significant institutional aid at schools that require it.
Update: So we asked about CSS Profile requirements and are checking each school's website for their specific forms. I also had her email all the financial aid offices to confirm they received her FAFSA with the correct SAI. Thanks everyone for your help! This is all so new to us.
Great steps! One more thing worth checking: some schools have special scholarships specifically for first-generation college students. Since you mentioned her daughter is first-gen, make sure she's applying for those opportunities as well. Sometimes these are separate applications with different deadlines from the general financial aid process.
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my school has this thing were u can become a RA mid year if someone quits and it covers housing right away!! maybe ur school has that? also check with ur states higher ed department becuz some states have emergency grants for college students that arent through the school
That's a great idea about the RA position! I'll check if there are any mid-year openings. And I didn't know states had separate grants - I'll look into that too.
One more suggestion - consider taking one fewer class if possible. If you drop from 15 credits to 12 (still full-time for financial aid purposes), you might save enough to make your current funds stretch. Then you can make up that class in summer when you hopefully have more scholarship money lined up. I did this my sophomore year and it saved me about $1,800.
That's actually brilliant. I'm currently enrolled in 16 credits, so I could drop one 3-credit course and still be full time. That might be the simplest solution to at least reduce what I owe right now. Thank you!!
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the whole system is broken!! i finally got my part done for my son but now his SAI is way higher than the old EFC would have been with the EXACT SAME financial info as last year. how is that even possible????? anyone else seeing crazy high SAI numbers?
The SAI calculation is different from the old EFC formula - they changed several factors including how they assess home equity, the income protection allowance, and how they handle multiple students in college. Many middle-income families are seeing higher numbers this year. I'd suggest running the net price calculators on your son's colleges' websites as they may have adjusted their institutional aid to account for the formula changes.
thx! i just tried the net price calculator and youre right its actually coming out similar to last year. so confusing why they had to change everything!!
UPDATE: I finally got through the system this morning! For anyone else struggling, here's what worked: 1. Used Chrome in incognito mode 2. Created separate browser profiles for each child 3. Logged in at 5:30 AM (seriously) 4. Used text message for MFA instead of email The IRS data transfer actually worked smoothly once I got past the authentication. Both applications now show completed status with confirmation numbers. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!
Congrats! Did you get to see your SAI numbers yet? I'm curious how they compare to the old EFC from previous years.
Yes! The SAI numbers are visible now. They're about 15% higher than our EFC was last year, which is concerning. Going to contact their schools to see if they're adjusting their aid packages to account for the formula change.
Natasha Orlova
When I finally got through to someone at the financial aid office, they told me the CSS profile is just a starting point and we'd have a chance to explain our specific financial situation after submitting. That made me feel better about the whole thing.
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Paolo Longo
•That's good to know! How long did it take between submitting the CSS Profile and hearing back about your financial aid package? I'm worried about timing since ED is binding and we need to know the aid amount before fully committing.
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Amina Bah
To address your concern about timing: most schools will send preliminary aid offers with your ED acceptance letter in mid-December. You'll typically have until May 1st to make your final decision, and schools understand that financial aid is a crucial factor. If the package is truly unworkable for your family, you can appeal or potentially be released from the ED commitment. For the CSS Profile specifically, just make sure you're reporting information exactly as it appears on your tax documents. For your rental property loss, enter it as a negative number. And don't forget to report the property value in the assets section as well. The most important thing is consistency with your tax returns.
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Paolo Longo
•Thank you for the detailed information. I think I understand better now how to report our rental property. One last question - do we include the mortgage balance when reporting the property value, or just the current market value minus what we owe?
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