FAFSA showing 'no aid' after getting SAI number - what did I mess up?

Deep breath! "No aid" on FAFSA doesn't necessarily mean your son won't receive ANY financial assistance. The FAFSA itself doesn't award aid - it just calculates the SAI score (which you already have). Schools use that SAI to determine what aid package to offer. With an SAI of 18650, your son likely won't qualify for Pell Grants, but he should still be eligible for federal student loans and possibly work-study depending on the cost of attendance at his schools. You need to wait for the actual financial aid award letters from each school to see what they're offering.

our family got the same thing last year!! don't worry about it too much, my daughter still got offered loans and some merit scholarships even tho the fafsa site showed that weird "no aid" message

This is a common misunderstanding with the FAFSA process. The "no aid" message on studentaid.gov typically refers to federal need-based aid (primarily Pell Grants). With an SAI of 18650, your son is above the Pell Grant threshold (currently around 7000 for the 2025-26 academic year). However, he's still eligible for: 1. Federal Direct Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized depending on the cost of attendance) 2. Work-study (potentially, depends on the school) 3. School-specific grants and scholarships 4. State-based aid programs The complete financial picture won't be clear until you receive the official award letters from each school. Each institution will take his SAI and create a unique aid package based on their available resources and your son's financial need relative to their cost of attendance.

i think the entire system is designed to be confusing on purpose... they make you think youre getting nothing then throw you a bone with massive loans that put you in debt for 20 years lol. when my daughtre went to college last yr we had similar SAI and ended up with only loans, no grants at all. total scam.

Try calling Federal Student Aid directly - they can explain exactly what the "no aid" message means in your specific situation. I tried for days to get through on the phone last month for a similar issue and kept getting disconnected or facing 2+ hour wait times. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get a callback from a FAFSA agent within 30 minutes. They explained that the "no aid" message was just about Pell Grants, not all types of financial aid. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. The agent actually gave me a complete breakdown of what aid types were still available with our SAI score.

the same thing happened to me!! dont worry about it yet. wait for the school letters to come in before u panic. my SAI was even higher than yours (like 22000) and my kid still got some aid from the schools. not as much as we wanted but something at least. the fafsa website is just confusing.

Just to add some specifics about what your son might qualify for with an SAI of 18650: 1. Direct Unsubsidized Loans: $5,500 for first-year students (this is standard for all students regardless of need) 2. Direct Subsidized Loans: Possibly some portion of the $5,500 total depending on the specific cost of attendance at each school 3. Parent PLUS Loans: Available up to the full cost of attendance minus other aid received (requires credit check) 4. Work-Study: Depends on each school's allocation and your son's calculated need Each school will create an individualized package. More expensive schools often offer better institutional aid to offset their higher costs. Don't lose hope until you see those official award letters!

Have you checked if the colleges your son applied to require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA? Many private schools use both to determine aid. If they need CSS and you haven't submitted it, that could limit his aid options. The CSS asks for more financial details than FAFSA and might give a more complete picture for schools that use it.

Update: I called one of the schools and they said not to worry about the "no aid" message on FAFSA! Apparently it just means no Pell Grant, but my son should still qualify for federal loans and possibly work-study. They said to wait for their official aid letter next month. I feel so much better now! Thanks everyone for your advice and support during my panic mode!

So glad you called the school directly and got some peace of mind! This is a perfect example of why it's always worth reaching out to the financial aid offices when you're confused about something. They deal with these questions all the time and can give you much clearer answers than trying to decode the FAFSA website messages. Best of luck with the aid letters when they arrive - I hope your son gets some good packages from all three schools so you have options to compare!

Welcome to the FAFSA journey! As someone who went through this same panic last year with my oldest, I can tell you that "no aid" message is misleading and caused me weeks of unnecessary stress. Your son will almost certainly qualify for federal student loans regardless of your SAI - the standard freshman loan limit is $5,500 total between subsidized and unsubsidized loans. With your income level, you might even get some subsidized portion depending on each school's cost of attendance. Also, don't forget to look into your state's financial aid programs - many states have their own grant and scholarship programs that aren't tied to the federal Pell Grant eligibility. And definitely ask each school about their payment plan options when you get the aid letters - sometimes spreading costs over monthly payments can make things much more manageable even without huge aid packages!

Just wanted to chime in as another parent who went through this exact same panic! The "no aid" message on the FAFSA portal is honestly one of the worst pieces of user interface design ever - it causes so much unnecessary stress for families. What it really means is "no federal need-based grants" but doesn't account for all the other types of aid available. With your SAI of 18650 and household income of 92k, your son will definitely qualify for federal student loans, and many schools will still offer institutional aid or merit scholarships regardless of your FAFSA results. I'd also suggest looking into your state's 529 college savings tax benefits if you haven't already - even small contributions can help with tax deductions. The most important thing is to wait for those actual award letters from the schools before making any decisions. Each school packages aid differently, and you might be pleasantly surprised! Hang in there - the hardest part of this process is the waiting and uncertainty.

I'm going through this exact same situation right now with my junior! Reading through this thread has been so helpful - I had no idea that "no aid" just meant no Pell Grants rather than absolutely nothing. The FAFSA system really needs better messaging because this is clearly confusing tons of families. I'm bookmarking this thread for next year when we're dealing with our own SAI results and aid letters. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences and advice - it's such a relief to know that federal loans are still available regardless of the SAI score, and that schools often have their own merit money to offer. This community is amazing for first-time parents navigating this process!