Can't find my son's SAI score on processed FAFSA - where is it located?
I'm completely lost trying to find my son's SAI (Student Aid Index) on his FAFSA application. We submitted everything about two weeks ago and got the email saying it was processed successfully, but I can't find the actual SAI number anywhere on the studentaid.gov website. I've clicked through every tab and section I can find! Is there a specific page where the SAI is displayed? Do they send it separately? This is our first time through the FAFSA process and all the college financial aid offices keep asking for his SAI score, but I have no idea where to find it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
16 comments
Join the conversation
QuantumLeap
The SAI isn't displayed directly on the FAFSA confirmation page or studentaid.gov account anymore (which is super confusing). You have to download your SAR (Student Aid Report) PDF from your son's studentaid.gov account. Log in to his account, go to "My Documents" and find the most recent SAR. Open that PDF and look for the SAI number - it should be clearly marked. Alternatively, check your email for a message from Federal Student Aid that contains a link to view the SAR - the SAI will be listed there too.
0 coins
Emma Wilson
•Thank you so much! I found the "My Documents" section and downloaded the SAR just like you said. The SAI was right there on the first page. No wonder I couldn't find it - I was only looking at the dashboard and summary pages.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
You can also call the Federal Student Aid Info Center at 1-800-433-3243 to get the SAI. But good luck getting through!! I spent 3 hours on hold last week and got disconnected twice 😡
0 coins
Isabella Santos
•I had the same issue trying to reach them! I ended up using Claimyr.com to skip the wait time - they got me connected to a live FAFSA agent in about 5 minutes instead of hours on hold. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Totally worth it when you're trying to get specific info like your SAI before college deadlines.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
•Wait really?? Never heard of that but I'm definitely checking it out next time!
0 coins
Ravi Sharma
Just download the sai from the sar lol its not that hard
0 coins
Freya Larsen
•Not everyone is familiar with the FAFSA system, especially first-time parents. The terminology alone (SAI, SAR, ISIR, etc.) can be overwhelming. Let's be supportive rather than dismissive of people trying to navigate this complicated process.
0 coins
Omar Hassan
This is so frustrating! Same thing happened to me with my daughter's application. I was looking all over the place for the SAI. Why don't they just put it right on the main page where you can see it???? The whole website is set up to be as confusing as possible I swear. They make everything 10x harder than it needs to be. And then colleges want that number right away but they hide it in some random PDF you have to hunt for. Makes no sense.
0 coins
Chloe Taylor
•The old EFC was easier to find than this new SAI number... one more "improvement" that just makes the process more complicated. Par for the course with government systems I guess.
0 coins
Freya Larsen
It's important to note that the SAI (Student Aid Index) replaced the old EFC (Expected Family Contribution) starting with the 2025-2026 FAFSA. The calculation methods changed too, so the numbers may look different from what you might have expected. Besides downloading the SAR as others mentioned, you can also get your son's SAI by: 1. Checking the confirmation email sent after FAFSA processing (it should contain the SAI or a link to view it) 2. Having your son log in and check the "Financial Aid Review" section 3. Contacting any college's financial aid office where his FAFSA was sent - they receive the SAI directly Also, make sure you're looking at the SAI and not confusing it with the FSA ID number, which is completely different!
0 coins
Emma Wilson
•Thank you for this detailed explanation! I noticed the confirmation email actually did have the SAI in it, but I missed it because I was looking for the old EFC terminology. The number seems higher than I expected - does that mean we'll get less aid?
0 coins
Freya Larsen
•The SAI calculation is different from the old EFC formula, so direct comparisons can be misleading. A higher SAI doesn't necessarily mean less aid across all schools. Each college uses the SAI differently in their financial aid formulas, and many schools have their own institutional methodology beyond just the FAFSA. I'd recommend contacting the financial aid offices at each school your son is applying to and ask how they use the SAI in their specific aid calculations.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
my kid's SAI was like $56,000 even though we don't make anywhere near that much money. the whole system is BROKEN.
0 coins
QuantumLeap
•That sounds unusually high. You might want to check if there was an error in your application. Common mistakes that inflate the SAI include reporting retirement assets as investments, counting the same income twice, or not properly entering household size. You can submit a correction to your FAFSA if you find errors.
0 coins
Chloe Taylor
Does anyone know if we need to wait for the SAI to show up before colleges can offer financial aid packages? My son's #1 choice is asking for his "official SAI" but we only have an estimate from their net price calculator.
0 coins
Freya Larsen
•Yes, colleges need the official SAI from the processed FAFSA before they can finalize aid packages. The net price calculator is just an estimate. Once your FAFSA is processed and the SAI is generated, schools automatically receive this information if your son listed them on his FAFSA. If his application shows as 'processed' but the school says they don't have it, you may need to check if the school's code was correctly entered on the FAFSA.
0 coins