Is 7261 SAI eligible for Pell Grant? Daughter denied but confused about thresholds

The Pell Grant eligibility threshold fluctuates slightly each year, but generally an SAI of 7261 is right on the borderline. For the 2025-2026 award year, the max SAI for receiving any Pell is around 7000 (give or take a little depending on cost of attendance). You're just barely over that threshold. I'd definitely recommend visiting the financial aid office to see if there's anything that could adjust your SAI down slightly - even a small adjustment could qualify her. Sometimes there are special circumstances they can consider.

we had 6800 sai and got pell but not the full amount. i think max pell is for like sai under 3000 or something? def go talk to fin aid office tho they can sometimes find ways to help!!!

The exact SAI cutoff for Pell eligibility for 2025-2026 is 7380. With your SAI of 7261, your daughter should qualify for a small Pell Grant - not the maximum amount, but definitely something. The fact that she didn't receive any is concerning and worth investigating. One important factor: Having multiple children in college simultaneously should lower your SAI and potentially increase aid eligibility. However, the new FAFSA formula changed how this is calculated compared to previous years. Definitely schedule an appointment with the financial aid office. Bring documentation showing: 1. Your SAI from the FAFSA confirmation 2. Proof of your other child's college enrollment 3. Any significant financial changes since filing (medical expenses, job loss, etc.) They can review your specific situation and potentially make professional judgment adjustments.

This FAFSA system is RIGGED!!!! My daughter had an SAI of 6500 last year and got Pell but this year with SAI of 6350 she got NOTHING. How does that make ANY sense???? The whole system is designed to LOOK like they're helping but actually REDUCING aid. I spent HOURS on hold with FSA and couldn't even get through. This "simplified" FAFSA is just a way to cut people off from aid they deserve!!!!

My son's SAI was 7100 and he got a small Pell Grant for next year - like $1100 I think? Your daughter should definitely get something with 7261 unless there's another eligibility issue happening.

I was in this exact situation last semester! Couldn't get a straight answer about my son's Pell eligibility despite having an SAI that should qualify. After waiting on hold for hours and getting disconnected multiple times, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with a FAFSA agent. It got me through to a live agent in about 15 minutes who explained there was actually an error flag on our application that was preventing the Pell Grant from being awarded. They have a video demo if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ It was so much better than the endless hold music and automated system. The agent was able to clear the flag and we got the aid package recalculated with the Pell included!

To answer your follow-up question - having multiple children in college used to be a significant factor that would lower your SAI, but as another commenter mentioned, the new FAFSA eliminated this benefit. However, individual colleges may still consider this in their institutional aid calculations. When you visit the financial aid office, be sure to emphasize that you have two children in college simultaneously. While it won't affect your federal Pell eligibility directly, many colleges have discretionary funds they can award to families in this situation. This is especially true if your SAI is just barely above the Pell threshold.

quick question - did u check if she got denied for pell specifically or just didn't see it in her aid package? sometimes schools dont send complete packages right away

Based on the conversation, here's what I recommend: 1. First, verify if this is the final aid package or a preliminary one. Some schools send initial packages before Pell Grant amounts are finalized. 2. Check for any notifications about verification requirements. If your FAFSA was selected for verification and you haven't completed that process, Pell won't be awarded yet. 3. Contact the financial aid office (either in person or by phone) to specifically ask about Pell Grant eligibility with your SAI of 7261. 4. Ask them to review for any flags or issues on your FAFSA that might be affecting Pell eligibility despite qualifying based on SAI. 5. Inquire about institutional aid options for families with multiple children in college, since this is no longer factored into the federal formula. The good news is that your SAI should qualify for at least a partial Pell Grant, so this is likely resolvable with the right information and follow-up.

I'm dealing with a similar situation and found some helpful info that might apply to your case. The 2025-2026 FAFSA changes have been really confusing for a lot of families. One thing to check - make sure your FAFSA was processed correctly and that all your income information transferred properly from the IRS. I've heard of cases where data retrieval errors caused higher than expected SAI calculations. Also, with your income level and family size, you might want to ask the financial aid office about state grants or institutional aid that could help bridge the gap even if federal Pell doesn't come through. Some schools have emergency aid funds specifically for families caught in these threshold situations.

I'm new to this whole FAFSA process and reading through everyone's responses has been really eye-opening! My daughter is a high school senior and we're just starting to navigate this. The changes you're all discussing about multiple kids in college no longer being a factor is really concerning since we'll have two in college starting next year. Sebastian, I hope you get this resolved - it sounds like with your SAI of 7261 you should definitely qualify for at least some Pell funding based on what others are saying. The suggestion about using that Claimyr service to actually get through to a real person sounds promising if the financial aid office can't help. Quick question for the group - are these new FAFSA rules going to be permanent or is there any chance they might change back? Having two kids in college at once used to help families like ours, and it's scary to think that benefit is just gone now.