Can FAFSA and New Century Skills scholarship be used for housing with negative SAI?

Congrats on your son's scholarships! That's fantastic. Regarding your questions: 1. For the New Century Skills scholarship - most merit scholarships can be applied to any qualified educational expense if tuition is already covered. Housing definitely counts as a qualified expense. However, you should check the specific terms of the New Century program as some specialized scholarships have restrictions. 2. About the SAI (Student Aid Index) - yes, a negative SAI is actually good news! The lower the SAI (including negative numbers), the higher financial need is demonstrated. With an SAI of -1235, your son likely qualifies for significant federal aid, potentially including Pell Grants, which don't need to be repaid. 3. Federal aid can be used for what's called the "total cost of attendance" which includes: - Tuition and fees (already covered for your son) - Room and board (on or off campus) - Books and supplies - Transportation - Personal expenses I'd recommend contacting the financial aid office at his school to get the specific breakdown of what his aid package will cover with that SAI score. They can tell you exactly how much he'll receive and how it can be allocated.

my son had a -1800 SAI and got the full pell grant last year which was like $7100 i think. he used it for his apartment off campus. the lower the number the more u get and negative is good!!

I think your supposed to talk with the finical aid office at your sons school and ask them these questions. every school is different with how they do scholarships. Some will let your son stack scholarships and others will reduce other aid if he got to many. My daughter got 3 different scholarships but then the school reduced her work study award which was so annoying!! Also just to make sure did he complete the state application for the New Century Skills program? My nephew thought he qualified for a similar program but didn't realize there was a separate form he had to fill out by the deadline. You might want to double check that!

The financial aid system is deliberately confusing so schools can manipulate how much aid you actually receive. With a negative SAI, your son qualifies for Pell Grants, but watch out for what the school does with his "scholarship package." Many schools practice what's called "scholarship displacement" where they REDUCE other aid when you get outside scholarships. That means they might say "Oh you got a band scholarship? Great, we'll reduce your grant money by exactly that amount." It's basically a way for them to avoid paying out aid they would have otherwise given. ALWAYS read the fine print and question EVERYTHING in the financial aid offer. And yes, he should be able to use both the Pell Grant money and New Century funds for housing if tuition is covered, but again, watch for how the school packages it. Don't let them pull a fast one and say "this can only be used for tuition" when that's already covered.

I spent HOURS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid last month with similar questions about my daughter's negative SAI. Kept getting disconnected or waiting forever. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person at FSA in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent I spoke with confirmed that negative SAI means higher eligibility and that Pell Grant funds can absolutely be used for housing when tuition is already covered. She also explained exactly how to view the detailed breakdown of what my daughter qualified for. Saved me so much frustration!

While others have answered about the SAI, I want to clarify something about the New Century Skills scholarship specifically. These state-based career/technical scholarships typically have specific guidelines about how they can be used. In most states, New Century funds are considered "last dollar" scholarships, meaning they're applied after other forms of aid and specifically toward tuition and mandatory fees first. If there's an excess after covering those costs, then yes, most states allow the remaining funds to go toward housing, books, etc. You should check your specific state's guidelines though, as some states are more restrictive than others. And congratulations to your son on his carpentry program completion - skilled trades pathways deserve more recognition!

let him live on campus its SO WORTH IT!!!! my kid tried commuting from home for first semester to save $ and it was awful, he missed out on making friends and felt disconnected. when he moved to dorms second semester his whole college experience improved! your only a few minutes away which is perfect - close enough if he needs something but far enough for independence lol

To directly answer your questions: 1. Regarding the SAI of -1235: This qualifies your son for significant federal aid, likely including the full Pell Grant (currently $7,395 for 2025-2026). A negative SAI indicates high financial need. 2. For the New Century Skills scholarship: You need to verify two things: - Whether your state's program allows funds to be used for non-tuition expenses - Whether the community college has any policies about "scholarship stacking" 3. For using financial aid for housing: Federal aid (including Pell Grants) can absolutely be used for any component of the official cost of attendance, including housing. Since his tuition is covered by the band scholarship, his Pell Grant can go directly to housing, books, etc. One important note: Make sure your son completes the housing application ASAP. Many community colleges have limited on-campus housing that fills quickly. Don't wait for the financial aid package to be finalized before securing his spot in the dorms.