FAFSA processed but can't find SAI score - where to view financial aid amount?
My son's FAFSA was processed successfully on May 2nd (got the confirmation message and everything), but I'm completely lost on what to do next. The submission summary says it has information about his eligibility, but WHERE exactly do I find out how much aid he'll receive? There's no clear number or amount listed anywhere. Do I need to look somewhere specific on studentaid.gov? Is there another step we're missing? His college orientation is in 3 weeks and we have no idea if we can afford it yet!
12 comments
Join the conversation
Liam Cortez
the fafsa just tells them ur eligible, u dont actually see aid amounts on there. each school will send u a financial aid package showing grants/loans they're offering. check ur sons email or student portal at each school he applied to
0 coins
Kiara Fisherman
•Thank you! So the FAFSA itself doesn't show dollar amounts? That makes more sense. His college portal still says "Financial Aid: Pending" so I guess we just need to wait longer?
0 coins
Savannah Vin
What you're looking for is your son's Student Aid Index (SAI), which is the number colleges use to determine aid eligibility. Log into studentaid.gov with your son's FSA ID, click on "My Aid" in the top menu, then select "View your processed FAFSA form." The SAI should be displayed there. However, the actual aid amounts will come directly from each college in their financial aid award letters, usually 2-4 weeks after FAFSA processing.
0 coins
Kiara Fisherman
•THANK YOU! We found it! His SAI is 9,452. Is that good or bad? What should we expect based on that number?
0 coins
Mason Stone
The SAI is just a number colleges use to decide how much aid to give. Lower = more aid, higher = less aid. Each school uses it differently tho so u cant really know what ull get until they send their packages
0 coins
Kiara Fisherman
•That helps explain it. I wish they made this clearer on the FAFSA site! Now we just wait for the colleges to send their offers...anxious mom here!
0 coins
Makayla Shoemaker
An SAI of 9,452 typically indicates potential eligibility for some need-based aid, depending on the school's cost of attendance. Your son should definitely qualify for unsubsidized direct loans at minimum, possibly subsidized loans, and potentially some institutional aid. As others mentioned, each school calculates their packages differently. If you need to discuss his SAI or application with Federal Student Aid before the orientation, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent without waiting on hold for hours. I used their service last month when my daughter's FAFSA had verification issues, and I got through to FSA in about 5 minutes instead of the 3+ hours I was facing. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
0 coins
Kiara Fisherman
•I appreciate the context on the SAI number! And thanks for the Claimyr tip - we may need that if we don't hear from the college soon. Orientation is coming up fast and we need to know if we can afford it before making travel arrangements.
0 coins
Christian Bierman
Somtime the schools take FOREVERRR to send out there aid packages, my daughters college took almost 2 MONTHS after fafsa processed to send her awards. So frustrating!! But you can call the financial aid office directly to ask for a timeline, sometimes they'll give you an early estimate over the phone.
0 coins
Emma Olsen
•yep this is normal unfortunately. my son's took 6 weeks last year and we were PANICKING the whole time. colleges don't seem to understand parents need this info to plan!!
0 coins
Kiara Fisherman
UPDATE: I finally called the college's financial aid office and they said they're behind on processing because of all the FAFSA delays this year. They expect to have aid packages out within 2 weeks, and they suggested we go ahead with orientation since we can still make decisions after seeing the package. The woman was super nice and said based on our SAI, we should qualify for "significant assistance" but wouldn't give specific numbers. Fingers crossed!
0 coins
Savannah Vin
•That's great news! "Significant assistance" is definitely promising language from a financial aid officer. They typically don't use those terms unless they expect you'll receive a substantial package. While waiting, make sure all verification documents are ready if requested - having those prepared can speed up the final steps.
0 coins