Confused about financial aid gap - our SAI is $29k but school costs $61k with only $7,500 in loans offered?

I think you're misunderstanding how SAI works. The $29,000 SAI means that's what the government expects your family to contribute. It doesn't guarantee the school will cover the difference between your SAI and their cost of attendance. The $7,500 unsubsidized loan is just the standard federal loan amount for first-year students. You'll need to cover the remaining amount through Parent PLUS loans, private loans, or other means if you can't pay out of pocket.

Yep ur in the gap!! This is what people talk about when they say middle class gets squeezed. Too much income for big grants but not enough to actual pay the crazy prices. Private schools sometimes have more money to give but public schools usually just give u the Fed loans and maybe state grants if ur lucky. Good luck!

You're experiencing what's called the "financial aid gap" - the difference between what a school costs, what you're expected to contribute (your SAI), and what's actually offered in aid. Since your SAI is $29,000, that's what the federal methodology says you can afford annually. However, schools aren't required to meet your full financial need. Your options typically include: 1. Parent PLUS loans (federal loans for parents, credit check required) 2. Private student loans (typically require co-signer) 3. Payment plans through the school 4. Scholarships (keep searching!) 5. Consider appeals for more institutional aid Before making any decisions, I'd recommend contacting the financial aid office directly to discuss your options. Sometimes they can adjust your aid package, especially if your financial circumstances have changed since filing the FAFSA.

This same thing happened to us! Middle class nightmare. We ended up having to tell our daughter she couldn't go to her dream school because we couldn't afford the gap. She was so heartbroken but eventually chose a state school where she got almost a full ride. It worked out but man those first few weeks were ROUGH.

Has anyone tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline?? I spent TWO WEEKS trying to get through to ask similar questions and kept getting disconnected or put on hold forever!!! The system is IMPOSSIBLE to navigate. 😤😤😤

ur SAI is what the govt thinks u can pay, not what the school has to give u. its a complicated formula based on ur income, assets, family size etc. but theres a huge difference between what the formula says u can pay and what u ACTUALLY can pay right???! welcome to the club lol

One important thing to note - don't just look at the sticker price. Calculate the *actual* gap. If COA (Cost of Attendance) is $61k and your SAI is $29k, your theoretical financial need is $32k. If they only offered $7.5k in unsubsidized loans, your unmet need is $24.5k. But remember, your SAI of $29k is part of this equation too. So your actual total out-of-pocket would be $29k (your SAI) + $24.5k (unmet need) = $53.5k, which matches what you calculated. Worth confirming the school didn't offer ANY grants or scholarships in the package? Sometimes they list them separately from the federal loans.

I HATE the new FAFSA!!! This is the first year with the SAI instead of EFC and it's SO CONFUSING!! My daughter has the exact same problem - $26k SAI but her school costs $55k and they only gave her $15k in aid. RIDICULOUS!!! How are regular families supposed to afford this???

For the original poster - a few strategies to consider: 1. Contact the financial aid office and ask about additional institutional grants they might offer 2. Look into whether your son qualifies for department-specific scholarships in his intended major 3. Consider having your son start at a community college and transfer after completing general education requirements 4. Parent PLUS loans are an option, but be cautious about taking on excessive debt 5. Some families use home equity loans if they own property (but consider the risks) 6. Has your son applied to any schools with better financial aid policies? Some schools meet full demonstrated need, though they're competitive. Remember that the school's initial offer isn't necessarily final.

anybody else notice that the SAI is actually HIGHER than the old EFC for a lot of families? mine went up like 5k with the exact same financial info! feels like they changed the formula to make it look like families can pay more than they rly can smh

My nephew is going thru the same thing!!! Its SO frustrating that they make it this complicated. The whole system needs to be overhauled!!! Good luck!!

One final recommendation - request an appointment with the school's financial aid office for a professional judgment review if you have any special circumstances that weren't captured in your FAFSA (medical expenses, job loss, supporting other family members, etc.). Financial aid officers have discretion to adjust your aid package based on information not collected on the FAFSA. Also, don't forget to check with your employer (and your spouse's if applicable) about potential tuition benefits or scholarships for employees' children. Some larger companies offer these benefits but employees aren't always aware of them.

I'm new to this community and going through the exact same thing with my daughter! Our SAI is $31k but her dream school costs $58k and they only offered $6k in aid. Reading through all these responses has been so helpful - I had no idea about the professional judgment review option or that you could appeal for more institutional aid. It's scary how many families are dealing with these massive gaps. Has anyone had success with the appeals process? I'm wondering if it's worth the effort or if schools rarely change their initial offers.

I just went through this same nightmare last year with my oldest! That gap between your SAI and actual aid offered is unfortunately super common, especially at private schools. A few things that helped us: 1. We successfully appealed and got an additional $4k in institutional grants by showing them competing offers from similar schools 2. My son took out the max federal loans ($5,500 subsidized + $2,000 unsubsidized for freshman year) 3. I took out a Parent PLUS loan for about $15k rather than the full gap 4. He's working 15 hours/week on campus to help cover living expenses It's still a stretch financially, but we made it work without taking on crushing debt. The key was being persistent with the financial aid office and having backup school options that were more affordable. Don't give up - there are usually more options than they initially present!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm a newcomer dealing with a very similar situation - our SAI is $27k but my daughter's preferred school costs $59k with only minimal aid offered. Reading everyone's experiences and advice has made me realize we're not alone in this struggle. The suggestion about using competing offers for appeals is something I hadn't considered, and I'm definitely going to look into the professional judgment review process. It's frustrating that the financial aid system creates these huge gaps for middle-class families, but at least now I understand our options better. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences - it's exactly what confused parents like us need to hear!

I'm new here and just wanted to say thank you for starting this thread! My family is in almost the identical situation - our SAI came out to $28k but my son's top choice school costs $62k with only $7k in federal loans offered. I've been losing sleep over this for weeks thinking we were doing something wrong with our FAFSA or missing some obvious solution. Reading through all the responses here has been incredibly educational and reassuring that we're not alone in this struggle. The explanations about how SAI actually works versus what I thought it meant, the suggestions for appeals and professional judgment reviews, and hearing from families who've navigated similar situations successfully - it's all exactly what I needed to understand our options. I'm definitely going to try calling the financial aid office to see about additional institutional aid, and we're still waiting to hear from a few other schools that might offer better packages. It's frustrating that middle-class families get caught in this gap, but at least now I have a clearer picture of the reality and some concrete steps to take. Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

I'm new to this community and going through this exact same nightmare! Our SAI is $32k but my daughter's dream school costs $64k and only offered $5.5k in federal loans. I've been panicking for days thinking we did something wrong on our FAFSA. This thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea that SAI just represents what the government thinks we can pay, not what the school is required to cover. The explanation about unmet need versus actual financial aid really cleared things up for me. I'm definitely going to try the appeal process and look into that professional judgment review option. We do have some medical expenses that weren't captured on the FAFSA. Also planning to use any better offers from other schools as leverage if we get them. It's both terrifying and oddly comforting to know so many other middle-class families are stuck in this same impossible gap. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice - it's given me hope that there might be a path forward even if the initial offer seems insurmountable!

New member here and this thread is a godsend! We're facing the exact same situation - SAI of $30k but the school costs $63k with only basic federal loans offered. I've been frantically googling "what does SAI mean" for the past week thinking I was missing something obvious. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both eye-opening and reassuring. I had no idea that schools weren't required to meet the gap between SAI and their costs - I thought that's what financial aid was supposed to do! The middle-class squeeze is real. I'm taking notes on all the suggestions here: appeals process, professional judgment reviews, using competing offers as leverage, and looking into employer tuition benefits. Has anyone had luck with the timing of appeals? Should I wait until we hear back from all the schools my son applied to, or start the appeal process now with his top choice? Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and making this overwhelming process feel a bit more manageable!

New member here and this thread has been incredibly helpful! We're dealing with almost the exact same situation - our SAI is $28k but my daughter's top choice school costs $59k with only $6k in federal loans offered. I've been completely overwhelmed trying to understand how we're supposed to cover a $53k gap! Like so many others here, I initially thought the SAI meant the school would help bridge the difference, but clearly that's not how it works. The explanation about unmet need versus what schools are actually required to provide has been eye-opening. I'm definitely going to try the appeal process and look into professional judgment reviews. We have some documentation of eldercare expenses for my mother-in-law that weren't reflected in our FAFSA, so maybe that could help our case. One question for those who've been through the appeals process - how long did it typically take to hear back from the financial aid office? We're trying to make decisions by May 1st and I'm worried about timing. Also, did anyone have success appealing to multiple schools simultaneously, or is it better to focus on just your top choice? Thank you all for sharing your experiences and making this stressful process feel less isolating. It's both comforting and concerning to know so many middle-class families are stuck in this same impossible situation!

New member here and wow, this thread has been incredibly enlightening! We're in the exact same boat - SAI of $26k but my son's preferred school costs $58k and they only offered $5k in federal loans. I've been panicking for weeks thinking I completely misunderstood how financial aid works. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring and terrifying - reassuring to know we're not alone in this struggle, but terrifying to realize how common these massive gaps are for middle-class families. The explanation about SAI being what the government thinks we can pay (not what schools are required to cover) was a huge eye-opener. I'm definitely going to try the appeals process and professional judgment review. We have some unreported job-related expenses that might help our case. For those who've successfully appealed, did you submit additional documentation beyond what was on the original FAFSA, or did you mainly rely on competing offers from other schools? Also wondering if anyone has experience with schools that claim to "meet full need" - do they actually eliminate these gaps, or do they just define "need" differently than we might expect? Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and experiences. This community has been more helpful than hours of googling and trying to navigate the financial aid websites!