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Since you mentioned you're new to this process, here's what a "low SAI" actually means: The Student Aid Index replaces the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and is a number that colleges use to determine how much financial need you have. A lower number means greater financial need. With a low SAI and Pell Grant eligibility, your daughter would typically qualify for more need-based aid at most institutions. However, each college has a different financial aid budget and philosophy. Some meet 100% of demonstrated need, others might meet only 60-70%. I strongly recommend contacting the financial aid office directly and asking specifically: "With our SAI of [your number], what additional need-based aid might my daughter qualify for beyond the scholarship and Pell Grant already offered?" This direct approach often gets you the most accurate information.
Update: My SAR finally came through! For anyone else looking, the SAI is right at the top of the first page with a heading that says \
Great news! Your SAI essentially represents what the federal government believes your family can contribute annually toward college costs. It's not the exact amount you'll pay - it's used by schools to calculate your financial need (Cost of Attendance minus SAI). A lower SAI means you qualify for more need-based aid. Each school will use this number to create a unique financial aid package for you. Make sure to compare these packages carefully when they arrive!
My daughter applied on Nov 15 for 2024-2025 and we finally got the SAI calculation yesterday. So about 6 weeks total. The new system is definitely having issues but hang in there.
UPDATE: We tried incognito mode on Chrome AND disabled Norton password manager - IT WORKED! We were able to complete the spouse section without any cursor jumping. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. For anyone else with this problem, definitely try disabling any password managers or autofill programs first.
my daughter had this problem too but in her case it was because she was using an older version of Safari. its amazing how poorly tested the new FAFSA system is when so many families depend on this for college!!!! govt should be embarrassed.
Sofia Torres
am i the only one who thinks its crazy we have to jump through all these hoops?? one wrong click shouldnt take MONTHS to fix. my cousin had to drop out for a semester bc of fafsa delays
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Fatima Al-Qasimi
•You're absolutely right. The system is designed to punish students for simple mistakes instead of helping them. And it disproportionately hurts first-generation college students who don't have parents familiar with the financial aid process.
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Mei Wong
UPDATE: Following advice here, I contacted my daughter's college financial aid office and explained the situation. They're submitting a Professional Judgment request and gave us a special form documenting the dependency status error. They said this happens A LOT with the new system. Still waiting for resolution but at least we have a path forward now. Will update when we (hopefully) get this fixed!
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Amara Okafor
•That's excellent news! The Professional Judgment route is usually the fastest solution. Make sure they specifically note it as an "inadvertent error correction" rather than a "dependency override request" - those are processed differently. Keep us posted!
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