FAFSA confusion: Do med school students get Pell Grants with negative SAI?

Your daughter is considered an independent student for FAFSA purposes since she's going to graduate school. This means your income and assets aren't factored into her financial aid calculation, and you don't need to complete the parent section. Regarding the Pell Grant - she's mistaken. Pell Grants are ONLY for undergraduate students. Even with a negative SAI, graduate students don't qualify for Pell Grants. She should be looking at Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Grad PLUS loans for medical school. Many med students also apply for scholarships specific to their program.

a friend of mine started med school last yr and got so confused w/ all this stuff too!!! her mom tried to fill out parent section but it kept saying error. turns out grad students r always independent so ur good there

I work in financial aid at a university with a medical school, so I can provide some clarity here: 1. Graduate/professional students, including medical students, are considered independent for FAFSA purposes regardless of age or tax filing status. You don't need to provide any parental information. 2. Your daughter definitely misunderstood something about her aid package. Pell Grants are exclusively for undergraduate students. What she's likely seeing is either: - Her undergraduate SAI/Pell eligibility from a previous application - A school-specific scholarship with similar terminology - A state grant program with similar terminology I recommend she contact her medical school's financial aid office directly to clarify what aid she's actually being offered. Medical school financing typically involves Direct Unsubsidized Loans (up to $40,500/year) and Grad PLUS loans to cover remaining costs.

When she contacts the med school financial aid office, she should ask: 1. What specific federal aid she qualifies for (types and amounts) 2. What institutional aid or scholarships she's being considered for 3. If they have a breakdown of estimated costs vs. aid to show her financing gap 4. Whether they have special financing options for medical students 5. What the timeline is for finalizing her aid package Most medical schools have dedicated financial aid staff just for their program, so they can guide her through the specifics for that school.

I spent HOURS on the phone with Federal Student Aid last year trying to figure out this exact thing for my son's dental school! Their website is SO confusing and the negative SAI thing threw us off too. They kept putting me on these eternal holds and then disconnecting. FINALLY, I found out that: 1. Yes, all grad students = independent (no parent info) 2. No Pell grants for any grad programs, period 3. The negative SAI for grad students just affects certain loan eligibility THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIDICULOUS!!! 😡

wait im confused dont doctors make like a ton of money y is she even applying for need-based aid? just take out loans and pay them back when shes rich lol

my cousin got a pell grant for grad school last yr so maybe the rules changed??? idk financial aid is so complicated

Update: I spoke with my daughter and she checked her FAFSA account again. Turns out she was looking at her undergraduate information from the current year that shows on her dashboard, not her medical school application results. Her med school application is still processing. Thank you all for your help! I'll make sure she contacts the medical school financial aid office to understand her actual aid options.

Just went through this with MY son last month!!! First we thought he'd get a pellgrant for PA school but then we found out that's only for undergrad. At his PA program orientation they said most students take out the full cost of attendance in loans (tuition+living). It's a LOT but his starting salary should be around 115k so thats how most health professions students do it. Good luck to your daughter in med school!!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can confirm everything the financial aid professional said above is correct. The FAFSA dashboard can be super confusing when you have multiple applications - we had the same exact issue where she was looking at her undergrad info instead of her grad school application! One thing I'd add is that many medical schools have their own institutional aid programs that can be quite generous, especially for students with demonstrated need. Some schools also have loan forgiveness programs if she ends up in certain specialties or works in underserved areas. Definitely worth asking about when she contacts their financial aid office. The debt is scary but manageable with good planning. My daughter's school had a great financial literacy workshop specifically for incoming med students that really helped us understand the long-term picture.

I'm a current med student and went through this exact confusion two years ago! Your daughter is definitely looking at the wrong information - as others have confirmed, there are NO Pell Grants for medical school students, period. The negative SAI is pretty common for grad students since it's based solely on their (usually low) income without parental support factored in. What she'll actually qualify for is Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans up to $40,500/year, and then Grad PLUS loans for whatever remaining costs her school certifies. At my school, most students borrow the full cost of attendance (around $80-90k/year including living expenses) since we can't work during the academic year. Definitely have her contact the med school financial aid office - they're usually really helpful and will walk her through exactly what aid she qualifies for. Many schools also have their own scholarship programs that aren't need-based but rather merit or specialty-specific. Good luck to her!

As a recent grad who just finished navigating this whole process for my master's program, I can definitely relate to the confusion! The FAFSA system is so poorly designed when it comes to explaining the differences between undergrad and grad school aid. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all the different aid programs and their eligibility requirements. It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the acronyms (SAI, EFC, Pell, PLUS, etc.) but breaking it down into "undergrad only" vs "grad school eligible" categories made everything much clearer. Also, don't feel bad about the initial confusion - literally EVERY parent and student I know has gone through this exact same mix-up when transitioning from undergrad to graduate/professional school. The terminology is so similar but the rules are completely different. Your daughter will figure it out, and it sounds like she's got great support from you in navigating this process!

I'm a current medical school financial aid counselor and see this confusion ALL the time! You're absolutely right to question the Pell Grant - as everyone has confirmed, they're undergraduate-only with zero exceptions for grad/professional programs. The negative SAI your daughter is seeing is totally normal for grad students since it's calculated based on her individual income (likely minimal as a recent college graduate) without any parental contribution factored in. But that negative number doesn't unlock any special grant programs for grad school - it just affects loan eligibility. For medical school, she'll be looking at: - Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans (currently $40,500 annual max) - Grad PLUS loans for remaining costs - Institutional scholarships/grants (varies by school) - External scholarships specifically for medical students The good news is that medical schools typically have very knowledgeable financial aid staff who specialize in health professions financing. They'll walk her through everything and help her understand the realistic borrowing scenarios. Many also offer financial literacy workshops specifically designed for incoming med students to help with long-term debt management planning.

I'm actually going through something similar right now with my nephew who's starting pharmacy school this fall! We had the exact same confusion about the Pell Grant eligibility. What really helped us was scheduling a phone appointment directly with his pharmacy school's financial aid office rather than trying to navigate the general FAFSA helpline. The school-specific financial aid counselors are SO much more knowledgeable about professional program requirements and can walk you through exactly what aid your daughter qualifies for at that particular institution. Many also have specialized scholarship databases for healthcare students that aren't widely advertised. One thing we learned is that some medical schools have "bridge" funding or emergency aid programs for students who might face unexpected financial gaps during their studies. Definitely worth asking about when she calls! The whole process is overwhelming but having that direct school contact made everything so much clearer for us.

I'm a first-year medical student and just went through this exact situation last year! The confusion is totally understandable - I spent weeks panicking that I'd filled something out wrong when I saw my negative SAI. Your daughter is definitely looking at old undergraduate information. When you have multiple FAFSA applications in the system, the dashboard can be really confusing about which results correspond to which school year and program level. For med school specifically, she'll want to focus on maximizing any institutional aid her school offers. At my school, they had a separate scholarship application that wasn't tied to FAFSA at all - it was based on essays, community service, and intended specialty. Some schools also offer tuition discounts for in-state students or have partnerships with local hospitals that provide funding. The debt is definitely scary, but most of my classmates have found the financial aid offices at medical schools to be incredibly helpful with creating realistic repayment plans. They understand the unique timeline of medical training (4 years school + 3-7 years residency) and can help map out strategies for different career paths. Best of luck to your daughter - medical school is an amazing journey and the financial piece will work itself out with proper planning!