Can my daughter get additional aid with negative SAI (-1500)? Already qualified for Pell Grant

Yes! A negative SAI often leads to additional institutional aid at many schools. When my son had a -1200 SAI last year, his college not only gave him the full Pell Grant but also increased his merit scholarship by $3,000 AND gave him access to additional need-based grants from the school itself. The financial aid package will typically be customized based on their specific institutional formula. However, this varies HUGELY by school. Private universities tend to be more generous with institutional funds compared to public universities. Has your daughter received her final financial aid package yet? If not, I'd recommend contacting the financial aid office directly to ask about their policies for students with negative SAIs.

my daughter had a -1800 SAI and didnt get anything beyond the standard pell grant and what she already qualified for. state school too. dont get your hopes up. these schools are on tight budgets. privates different story tho

Hi there! Financial aid counselor here. A negative SAI does indicate high financial need, but additional institutional aid really depends on the specific school's policies and available funding. Here's what typically happens: 1) Your daughter will definitely receive the full Pell Grant ($7,395 for 2025-2026) 2) Most state universities have limited institutional funds compared to private schools, but many do have specific grants for very high-need students 3) The timing matters - has she already received an initial aid offer? If yes, and the SAI calculation came after, she should immediately contact the financial aid office to have her package recalculated 4) Some schools automatically adjust aid packages when they see a negative SAI, while others require students to submit a formal appeal for additional consideration I'd recommend having your daughter contact State University's financial aid office directly to inquire about their specific policies for students with negative SAIs. Make sure she mentions her specific SAI number when asking.

My son had -2000 SAI last fall and we got bounced around for WEEKS trying to contact financial aid. No one would answer phone, emails took 10+ days for responses, and his additional aid was delayed until after classes started! Super stressful! If you can't get through to financial aid office, try Claimyr.com - saved us so much time getting through to an actual human in the financial aid dept to process his recalculation. They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. After we finally got through, they added an institutional grant that covered another $4,200 per semester.

SAI scores are MEANINGLESS!!! My daughter had -2500 and still ended up with $18,000 in loans this year alone!!! The whole system is designed to trick you into thinking you'll get more aid. Then when you show up to campus they hit you with all these extra fees and charges that weren't in the original cost of attendance. DONT TRUST ANY OF IT!!!

My daughter also had a negative SAI (-1700). Here's what happened with her aid at three different schools: • Private Liberal Arts College: Full tuition coverage through combination of Pell, state grant, and institutional scholarships • State University: Pell Grant + existing merit scholarship + small institutional grant ($2,500) • Technical College: Only Pell Grant + existing scholarships, no additional aid The biggest factor seemed to be how much institutional aid each school had available and how they prioritized it. Some schools will automatically consider students with negative SAIs for additional institutional grants, while others focus their limited resources on specific programs or demographics. When your daughter contacts the financial aid office, she should specifically ask if they have any institutional grants for students with high financial need (negative SAI). Also ask if there are any department-specific scholarships she might qualify for based on her major. Sometimes those are separate from the general financial aid pool.

bro negative SAI just means ur broke lol but yea she'll prolly get more $$$ depends on the school tho

One more thing to consider - a negative SAI can sometimes qualify students for state grants that aren't part of the federal aid system. What state are you in? Some states have special programs for students with high financial need that require a separate application beyond FAFSA.

Has your daughter also completed the CSS Profile? Some public universities use it in addition to FAFSA to award their institutional aid. If State University uses CSS Profile and she hasn't completed it yet, she should do that immediately as it could unlock additional institutional aid options.

In response to your question about how your daughter should phrase her request when calling: She should say something like: "Hello, my name is [name] and I'm an incoming student for Fall 2025. I recently received my SAI score from my FAFSA, and it's -1500. I've already received an initial financial aid package, but I'm calling to see if my negative SAI qualifies me for any additional institutional aid or if my package can be recalculated based on this new information." Be sure she has her student ID number ready, along with her FAFSA confirmation number. If she gets nervous on calls, she might want to write down these key points before calling. Also, timing is crucial right now. April-May is when many financial aid offices finalize packages for incoming students, so the sooner she reaches out, the better chance she has of accessing any available funds.