Financial aid advisors: How do you explain SAI vs EFC to confused FAFSA applicants?

Thank you so much! I love the idea of a visual flowchart. Do you mind sharing what software you used to create yours? I'm thinking of making something we can both use during counseling sessions and email to families afterward.

I'm sorry you're having this experience! That's exactly the kind of situation that's tough to explain. The formula now treats certain assets and income differently. If your family has significant savings but lower income, that might explain part of it. Have you tried scheduling an appointment with your school's financial aid office? Sometimes an in-person explanation can be more helpful than trying to figure it out alone.

they told me to call fafsa directly because "its a federal calculation" but i cant get through no matter when i call 🙄

If you need to get through to a FAFSA agent, I was stuck in the same situation and found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me bypass the wait. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It got me connected to an actual FSA agent who explained the differences in my SAI calculation. Turns out some retirement savings were being counted differently than before. At least I got answers instead of just getting disconnected repeatedly.

I understand the frustration, but I've found that some families actually appreciate understanding the formula changes. Especially those who are financially savvy. It helps them plan better for younger siblings' college years. But I agree that for many families, focusing on what you can control at the institutional level is the right approach.

Depends on your student population. At my open-access public institution, most of our students are first-gen and just want to know bottom line costs. The few who want technical explanations can get them, but I've trained my staff to start with the simplest explanations.

This is a great point and one of the trickier aspects of the new formula. While retirement accounts themselves are still protected assets, the new FAFSA captures more information about retirement contributions and distributions that can affect the SAI. From a counseling perspective, I've found it helpful to acknowledge this frustration directly with families. I often say something like: "The formula is designed to create a standardized comparison across millions of families, but it doesn't always capture individual circumstances well. That's exactly why we have professional judgment and appeal processes." For families in your situation, I would suggest submitting formal documentation about when those retirement funds will be needed and any penalties for early withdrawal. Some institutions have specific appeal forms for retirement considerations.

I love the golf score analogy! The Federal Student Aid office has some resources on StudentAid.gov, but honestly they're not very user-friendly. NASFAA created some better materials, but they're behind a membership paywall. Here's what I'd suggest for your handout: 1. A simple "What Changed" section with bullets (no income protection allowance, different treatment of family size, etc.) 2. A "What This Means For You" section with examples of different family situations 3. A "What To Do Next" section that emphasizes the importance of comparing actual award letters rather than just SAI numbers If you DM me your email, I'd be happy to share the simplified handout we created for our local high schools. We're in a similarly high first-gen district.

omg that would be amazing!!! will message u my email. our college signing day is next month and i need all the help i can get!!!

I'm very sorry to hear about your daughter's situation. While I can't speak to your specific case without seeing the details, I would strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment with her school's financial aid office to request a professional judgment review. There are several reasons why a student might lose Pell eligibility even with identical income: 1. The formula now treats multiple students in college differently 2. Asset protection allowances changed significantly 3. Certain types of untaxed income are counted differently Many schools have set aside additional institutional funds specifically to help families caught in this transition. Please don't give up before exploring all options - and make sure to ask about special circumstance scholarships or emergency retention grants that might be available.

We tried already. They just keep saying "this is the new federal formula" like that makes it okay that she lost $7000 in aid! It's too late to apply anywhere else for fall. This whole system is broken.

Unfortunately this is happening to many families and it's completely unacceptable. The formula changes were supposedly to simplify things, but instead created new inequities. Ask specifically for an appointment with the Director or Dean of Financial Aid (not just a front-desk counselor) and come prepared with documentation of last year's vs. this year's offers. Some institutions have discretionary funds they can use in situations exactly like this.

So glad to hear this was helpful! The financial aid community is generally very collaborative - we're all trying to help students navigate a complicated system. Feel free to reach out anytime you have questions. And remember, even those of us who've been doing this for decades are learning the new FAFSA together!