Is my FAFSA SAI of 10k what I pay or aid my son receives?

SAI is what YOU pay, not what u get lol. It stands for Student Aid Index and higher number = less aid. My daughter's was 15k and we got barely anything.

The previous commenter isn't quite right. SAI (Student Aid Index) is a number colleges use to determine your financial need, not literally what you'll pay. The calculation is: Cost of Attendance - SAI = Financial Need. So if a college costs $30,000/year, your son would have a calculated financial need of $20,000. Schools then try to meet that need with various forms of aid (grants, work-study, loans). However, most schools don't meet 100% of calculated need, and the actual amount you pay depends on the specific financial aid package each school offers. Your son might still qualify for merit scholarships regardless of your SAI.

I work in financial aid, so let me clarify: SAI is NOT what you pay. It's an index number schools use to calculate eligibility for need-based aid. Here's how it works: 1) Each school has a Cost of Attendance (tuition, room, board, books, etc) 2) They subtract your SAI ($10k) from that total 3) The difference is your "demonstrated financial need" 4) Schools then try to meet that need with aid packages Example: If a school costs $28k/year and your SAI is $10k, your demonstrated need is $18k. The school might offer a $5k Pell Grant, $5k institutional grant, $5k work-study, and $3k in loans. Your actual out-of-pocket cost at each school will vary based on their aid policies and what types of aid they offer (grants vs loans). Some schools meet 100% of demonstrated need, many don't.

OK so i had the same confusion last year with my twins. the SAI is NOT what u pay directly. its like a starting point. we had an SAI of 8k and ended up paying way different amounts at different schools. one kid got a full ride + stipend at one school but the other one we pay like 14k out of pocket at a different college. its super confusing but u need to wait for the actual financial aid letters from each school to know the real numbers

Usualy like 2-4 weeks after they got all our FAFSA stuff but every school is different. some were quick others took forevvvvvver

I had the EXACT same question last year! The whole system is designed to be confusing on purpose I swear. After spending hours trying to get someone on the phone at Federal Student Aid to explain it (kept getting disconnected!), I found Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual person in about 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent explained that SAI is basically a measure of what the government thinks you can contribute, but it's NOT the final amount. Your son could still qualify for federal grants if he's attending a more expensive school since the formula is Cost - SAI = Need. And every school has different resources for meeting that need.

The SAI is pretty much locked in unless you have a major change in circumstances (job loss, medical expenses, etc). But the agent told me you should definitely appeal directly to each college's financial aid office if you have special circumstances not reflected on FAFSA. And definitely apply for outside scholarships! Those don't count against your federal aid.

THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! My son's SAI was $9,200 and we ended up with ZERO grants and only offered $5,500 in loans for a $35,000/yr school!! The formula is BROKEN and doesn't account for the fact that we live in a high-cost area and have medical debt. These schools are just businesses looking to squeeze every penny from families. Don't expect any real help from this broken system. We're having to take out PLUS loans AND dip into retirement just to make it work. Sorry to be negative but everyone should know the reality!!!

lol i found out my SAI yesterday too. got $2500 and have no idea what it means either 🤷‍♀️ college is so $$$

If your SAI is $10k, one important thing to note is that your son will likely qualify for Direct Unsubsidized Loans regardless of need (up to $5,500 for freshmen). If the school's cost minus your SAI shows financial need, he might also qualify for Direct Subsidized Loans (government pays interest while in school) and possibly Work-Study. With a $10k SAI, Pell Grants are unlikely unless there are special circumstances or you're looking at very expensive schools, but institutional grants and scholarships are still possible depending on the college. Each financial aid award letter will break all this down for you.

My sons sai was $12k and we ended up paying way more than that so don't get your hopes up lolol

Just to clarify from my experience in financial aid: a $10k SAI typically means: - Not eligible for Pell Grants (cut-off is around $6,000 SAI) - Eligible for direct loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized depending on the school cost) - May qualify for work-study at more expensive schools - Will likely get institutional aid at private colleges (they often have more resources) - Public universities may offer less institutional aid Bottom line: apply to a range of schools and compare the actual financial aid award letters side by side. Sometimes more expensive private schools end up being cheaper than public ones after aid is factored in. Don't rule out any options until you see the final numbers.

Just wanted to add from my experience - don't stress too much about the SAI number itself! My daughter had a $9,500 SAI and we were panicking thinking we'd have to pay that much everywhere. But she ended up getting great aid packages at several schools. One state school gave her enough grants that we only paid $4,000 out of pocket, while another private college would have cost us $18,000 after aid. The SAI is just one piece of the puzzle - the real magic happens when each school puts together their individual aid packages. Focus on applying to a good mix of schools and wait for those award letters. That's when you'll know the real numbers!

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can tell you that a $10k SAI is actually pretty manageable! The key thing to remember is that it's not a bill - it's just a number colleges use for calculations. My daughter had an $11k SAI and we ended up with vastly different costs at different schools. Her cheapest option was a private college that gave her so much institutional aid we only paid $2,800 out of pocket, while our state flagship would have cost us $9,200 after aid. Don't let anyone scare you - with a $10k SAI your son will definitely still get federal loan eligibility and potentially work-study depending on the school costs. Plus many private colleges have generous aid programs for families in your income bracket. The waiting is the hardest part but once those award letters start coming in, you'll have real numbers to work with instead of just worrying about what the SAI "means." Good luck!

Hey there! I just went through this exact same confusion with my oldest son last year. That $10k SAI had me spiraling for weeks because I couldn't get a straight answer anywhere! Here's what I learned: the SAI is basically like a starting point that colleges use to figure out your aid, but it's NOT what you'll actually pay. Think of it more like your "expected family contribution" that gets plugged into each school's formula. What really helped me was making a spreadsheet once the award letters started coming in. My son's SAI was $9,800 (pretty close to yours) and our actual costs ranged from $3,200 at one school to $14,500 at another - same kid, same SAI, totally different outcomes! The silver lining is that with a $10k SAI, your son should still qualify for federal student loans and work-study at most schools. He might not get Pell Grants, but don't count out institutional aid, especially at private colleges. Some of them have really generous aid programs. My advice? Apply to a variety of schools (public, private, different price points) and don't stress about the SAI number itself. The real decision-making happens when those financial aid award letters arrive and you can compare actual dollar amounts. Hang in there - it'll all make sense once you have the real numbers to work with!

Just wanted to chime in as another parent who went through this exact same panic! My daughter's SAI was $11,500 last year and I spent hours on Reddit and College Confidential trying to figure out what it meant for our bank account. The confusion is totally understandable because the terminology changed recently - it used to be called EFC (Expected Family Contribution) which honestly was even MORE misleading because people thought that's literally what they'd pay. What I wish someone had told me from the start: the SAI is just a number that unlocks different types of aid at different schools. It's not a bill, it's not a guarantee, it's just part of a formula. Some schools will gap you (not meet your full calculated need), others will be super generous with grants. We ended up with aid packages ranging from $8K to $22K out of pocket at different schools - same family, same FAFSA, same SAI. The cheapest option was actually a private liberal arts college that met 100% of demonstrated need with grants, not loans. My takeaway: apply broadly, don't get hung up on the sticker price of schools, and definitely don't let the SAI number stress you out. You'll have real data to work with once those financial aid letters arrive!