How colleges use SAI 36600 for financial aid with $61k tuition - need breakdown

The SAI (Student Aid Index) isn't a direct formula like you're hoping, but I can explain how it generally works. Colleges use your SAI as a starting point to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The basic calculation is: Cost of Attendance (COA) - SAI = Demonstrated Financial Need With a $61k COA and $36,600 SAI, your demonstrated need would be around $24,400. However, colleges don't always meet 100% of demonstrated need. Some might cover 70-100% of that need through a combination of: - Federal grants (Pell, if eligible) - Institutional grants/scholarships - Work-study options - Federal loans Your actual out-of-pocket could end up being your SAI ($36,600) plus any unmet need the college doesn't cover.

SAI is such a SCAM honestly!!! My niece had a similar SAI and got offered almost NOTHING at one school then got a huge package at another school with the exact same numbers! The whole system is designed to confuse families and make you pay more than you can afford. Don't trust the SAI number, it's just a starting point and schools manipulate it however they want.

Just to add some nuance to the earlier responses - many private colleges with high sticker prices ($61k range) often have their own institutional methodology that differs from the federal SAI calculation. They might use the CSS Profile data instead, which collects more detailed financial information. This can work in your favor or against you depending on your specific financial situation. In my experience working with families, here's a rough breakdown of what you might expect with a $36,600 SAI at a $61k school: - Highly selective, wealthy institutions with strong endowments: May meet 100% of demonstrated need with minimal or no loans - Mid-tier private colleges: Might meet 75-85% of need with a mix of grants and loans - Less selective private colleges: Often offer "merit scholarships" that aren't based on need but help bring down costs The actual formula varies dramatically between institutions, which is why you'll see such different packages.

We had 32k SAI last year and ended up paying about 45k for my son at a private school that costs 58k. They covered some with institutional grants but yeah we still had to take out a parent plus loan lol. The financial aid office kept saying they were being generous 🙄

I've been through this with 2 kids now. Here's what I learned: the SAI is basically your minimum contribution. The maximum you'll pay is the full cost of attendance. Where you fall between those numbers depends on: 1. The school's financial resources 2. How much they want your student 3. Your willingness to negotiate With your numbers ($36,600 SAI vs $61k cost), you're likely looking at: - Best case: $36,600 out of pocket - Likely case: $40-45k out of pocket - Worst case: $50-55k out of pocket The rest would come as institutional grants, federal/state grants if eligible, and offered loans. Has your daughter applied to any schools with strong merit scholarships? Those can sometimes be more valuable than need-based aid with your SAI.

Have u called the financial aid office at any of these schools yet? Sometimes they can give u estimates before u even apply if u give them ur SAI number. Might save u application fees if some are wayyyy out of budget

I work in college financial aid, and one thing many families don't realize is that your actual aid package can differ significantly from what the raw SAI number suggests. This happens because: 1. Some colleges award merit aid separately from need-based aid 2. Many have their own institutional methodology for calculating family contribution 3. Available aid funds vary widely between schools With a $36,600 SAI and $61k COA, here's what typically happens: The federal calculation shows $24,400 in need. The student will likely be offered: - Federal Direct Loans ($5,500 for freshmen) - Any Pell Grant eligibility (though unlikely with your SAI) - Work-study if available ($2,500-3,000) That leaves about $16,000 in remaining need that might be covered by institutional grants or left as "unmet need" - that's where schools differ dramatically. I suggest creating an account on each school's net price calculator for more accurate estimates. Every school's formula is different.

Try calling Federal Student Aid directly to get their explanation of SAI calculations and how schools typically use them. Their explanations are usually more straightforward than what colleges tell you. I was stuck on hold for HOURS trying to reach them but finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get a callback and talked to someone who really helped me understand my daughter's situation. They have a video demo here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Just input your number and they call you when an agent is ready instead of waiting on hold forever. FSA gave me a breakdown of exactly how our SAI would translate at different schools.

Just to add to my earlier comment - make sure your daughter also applies for outside scholarships. Even with your SAI, there are plenty of merit and special interest scholarships that could help bring down the cost. My son got about $7,000 in outside scholarships his freshman year, which made a significant difference. Start with the local community foundation, Rotary clubs, and your employer if they offer dependent scholarships.

Regarding scholarship displacement that someone mentioned - that's generally only true if you're already receiving 100% of your demonstrated need. With your SAI and the cost of attendance, you'll likely have unmet need at most institutions, meaning outside scholarships would actually reduce your out-of-pocket costs rather than displacing institutional aid. It's still very much worth pursuing outside scholarships in your situation.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also look at the Common Data Set (Section H) for each school your daughter is considering. This publicly available document shows exactly what percentage of need each college typically meets and what percentage of aid is grants vs. loans. For example, you can see if School A meets 85% of need with 70% grants/30% loans, while School B meets 95% of need with 90% grants/10% loans. This data can help you predict which schools are more likely to give you a better aid package with your $36,600 SAI. You can usually find these by googling "[School Name] Common Data Set 2023" - it's been a game-changer for our family's college planning!