@confused_applicant: A lower SAI (Student Aid Index) is better for financial aid purposes. The SAI replaced the old EFC (Expected Family Contribution) in the 2024-2025 FAFSA. The lower your SAI number, the higher your demonstrated financial need, which typically qualifies you for more aid. An SAI of 0 demonstrates maximum financial need, while higher numbers (potentially into the thousands) indicate less financial need according to the formula.

A high SAI doesn't necessarily mean you won't qualify for any need-based aid - it depends on the cost of attendance at the specific schools. Need-based eligibility is calculated as: Cost of Attendance - SAI = Financial Need So even with a higher SAI, if the school has a high cost of attendance, you may still demonstrate some financial need. Additionally, many schools offer merit-based scholarships that aren't tied to your SAI at all, but rather to academic achievement, special talents, etc. Don't lose hope until you see the actual packages!

did u try using a different browser? i heard someone say that internet explorer (lol) actually works for the 2000 birth year glitch

GOOD NEWS! FSA just released an update yesterday that specifically mentioned fixing the birth year issue for people born in 2000. If you update your browser and clear your cache completely, it should work now. I just helped my little brother submit his (he's a 2000 baby too) and it went through fine. They've been rolling out fixes all month for various bugs in the new system.

One thing I didn't see mentioned yet - if you're worried about qualifying for enough loans for your preferred program, you might want to look into an income-driven repayment plan after graduation. Even with higher loan amounts, these plans cap your monthly payments at a percentage of your discretionary income, making repayment more manageable. Also, check if your preferred program qualifies for Public Service Loan Forgiveness if you plan to work in the public sector or for a non-profit after graduation. This could be a huge factor in your long-term financial planning. Best of luck with your decision! Advanced degrees are worth it, but definitely choose the program that aligns with your career goals rather than making a decision based solely on immediate financial concerns.

My daughter had this same issue last year when applying for fall 2024. What ended up happening was that when the FAFSA was processed, it actually pulled the correct income info directly from the IRS through the data retrieval tool, so her error was automatically fixed! Did you use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when filling out the form? If so, it might correct itself.

One important thing to remember: after making the correction, you AND your parent will both need to re-sign the FAFSA with your FSA IDs. The correction isn't submitted until both signatures are applied. Many students miss this step and wonder why their correction wasn't processed.

Has anyone else noticed that the FAFSA system this year is WAY worse than previous years? I've been helping my students complete their FAFSAs for 6 years, and I've NEVER seen so many technical issues. The signature problems, the SAI calculation errors, the contributor section glitches... it's honestly embarrassing how poorly this rollout has gone. And don't even get me started on how they're claiming these problems are fixed when they clearly aren't!!

UPDATE: We finally got this resolved! After trying everything suggested here with no luck, we did end up using Claimyr to reach FSA directly (after 3 days of failed call attempts on our own). The agent confirmed there was a mismatch between my daughter's name on her FSA ID (where she included her middle name) and the FAFSA (where she didn't). They fixed it on their end, and within a few hours, the signature button became active. We've submitted successfully and already received her SAI score! Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.