FAFSA showing possible Pell Grant with SAI over 50k - is this a glitch?

That's actually not an error! The Pell Grant eligibility has expanded a bit for the 2025-2026 year. The maximum SAI for any Pell eligibility is now around $6,656 for maximum awards, but there are special circumstances where families with higher SAIs can qualify for minimal Pell amounts. Do you have other children in college simultaneously? That's one factor that can expand eligibility beyond the usual thresholds.

wait i got the same thing!!! our sai is like 48k and it said we MIGHT get a small pell. i thought it was some kinda mistake too lol. has anyone actually GOTTEN a pell with sai that high or is it just the system being wonky?

Financial aid advisor here. This is likely due to the multiple children in college factor, as mentioned above. The 2025-2026 FAFSA now applies a different calculation when multiple dependents are in college simultaneously. While the exact formula is complex, essentially your expected family contribution (reflected in your SAI) gets divided among the number of students. So with twins, each student effectively has half the SAI ($26,500) for Pell calculation purposes, which could put you in range for a small Pell Grant. However, I should note that the "may qualify" language is intentionally cautious because final Pell eligibility is determined when the school processes your FAFSA information and creates the official award package. Some additional factors might be considered at that stage.

I had a somewhat similar experience last year with my daughter's FAFSA. Our SAI was around 42k, but we got the small Pell notice too. In our case, it turned out to be because I (the parent) was also enrolled in a degree program while working full-time. Having multiple family members in college simultaneously can definitely affect the calculation. In the end, she did receive a $800 Pell Grant despite our relatively high SAI. Don't dismiss it as an error just yet!

To answer your question about extra paperwork - no, we didn't have to do anything additional for the Pell Grant specifically. It was included in her financial aid package automatically. However, her school did ask us to verify some information (income, number in college, etc.) before finalizing the award. They sent us a verification form about 3 weeks after the FAFSA was processed.

Try calling Federal Student Aid to confirm if theres an error. I spent 2 hours on hold last week trying to fix an issue with my FAFSA and kept getting disconnected. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed that multiple students in college can definitely affect Pell eligibility even with higher SAI scores. She said the formula basically splits your family contribution among the number of students.

does anyone know if the schools automatically know about siblings in college or do we need to tell them separately?? our fafsa shows both my kids but im paranoid they might miss that detail and not give the pell

When you get the actual financial aid package, double-check EVERYTHING! My son's package last year showed a Pell Grant we didn't actually qualify for. We only found out when we called to ask why the money hadn't been disbursed. Turns out it was a system error on their end. These financial aid systems are CONSTANTLY having glitches with the new FAFSA system!

Just to add a bit more context: The Pell Grant program for 2025-2026 has a maximum award of approximately $7,395 for students with an SAI of $0. The grant amount gradually decreases as the SAI increases, with the smallest Pell Grants being around $700-$1,200. In cases with multiple family members in college, as others have mentioned, the effective SAI per student can be significantly lower than your total family SAI, which is why you're seeing potential eligibility despite the high number.

This is such valuable information! I'm a newcomer here and going through the exact same situation with my daughter's FAFSA. Our SAI came back at around $45k and we also got that "may qualify for small Pell Grant" message. I was convinced it had to be an error since everything I'd read online said Pell was only for much lower income families. Reading all these responses about multiple students in college affecting the calculation makes so much sense now - we also have my older son finishing his senior year. It's reassuring to hear from people who actually received small Pell grants despite higher SAIs. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here too and this thread has been incredibly helpful. My family is in a very similar situation - our SAI came back at $51,000 and we also got that confusing "may qualify for small Pell Grant" message. Like you, I was absolutely convinced it was a system error since everything I'd read suggested Pell was only for much lower income families. We don't have multiple kids in college, but my spouse is currently enrolled in a graduate program while working, so that might be our "multiple family members in college" factor. Reading all these real experiences from people who actually received small Pell grants despite higher SAIs gives me so much hope! It's amazing how much more helpful this community is than just reading the official guidelines online. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories - it's making this whole confusing process feel much less overwhelming.