Negative SAI (-1500) on FAFSA - Is this good or bad for financial aid?
Just got my 2025-2026 FAFSA results and my SAI is showing -1500??? I'm totally confused. Is a negative number good or bad? Does it mean I'll get more money? Or did I mess something up on my application? I've been trying to interpret this for hours but can't find a clear answer online. Anyone know what a negative SAI actually means for my financial aid package?
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Talia Klein
A negative SAI is actually GOOD news! It means your financial need is higher than the standard calculation allows for. The more negative your SAI, the more aid you're likely to qualify for. The federal system essentially treats all negative SAI values as zero when determining Pell Grant eligibility, but many schools will take the negative value into account for institutional aid. Your -1500 suggests you'll likely qualify for the maximum Pell Grant and potentially more institutional aid.
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Cedric Chung
•OMG thank you!!! I was freaking out thinking I did something wrong. So this means I'll probably get the full Pell Grant amount?? That would be amazing.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
I got -2300 last year and ended up with max Pell and decent school grants. The negative is definitely good!!
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PaulineW
•Wait, I thought the system was now called SAI instead of EFC? I'm so confused about these FAFSA changes. Is SAI just the new name for EFC or does it calculate differently? My daughter's SAI is positive but low - will that affect her aid?
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Talia Klein
You're right that the system changed from EFC to SAI. While they're similar, there are differences in how they're calculated. SAI (Student Aid Index) replaced EFC (Expected Family Contribution) starting with the 2024-2025 FAFSA. The formulas are different, with SAI potentially going as low as -1500 (which wasn't possible with EFC). A low positive SAI still indicates financial need, but not as much as a negative SAI. Each school will have different aid formulas based on SAI.
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Annabel Kimball
•not entirely accurate... i work in finacial aid office at a state university & the transition from EFC to SAI changed more than just the name & negative values. theres new calculations for multiple students in college, changes to income protection allowances, and asset protection is different. so ur results might be different than expected if your comparing to past years!!
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Chris Elmeda
My daughter got a -1500 SAI too, but when we called to check what that meant for her specific school, we kept getting disconnected or waiting FOREVER on hold. After 3 days of trying, we used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a FAFSA rep who explained everything. Totally worth it - they got us connected in 10 mins when we'd been trying for days. They have a demo video too: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Turns out the -1500 meant she qualified for max Pell plus additional consideration for university grants!
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Cedric Chung
•Thanks for the tip! I'll look into that service if I have trouble reaching someone. Did they explain why it's specifically -1500 and not some other negative number?
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Jean Claude
i think the -1500 is like the floor value for SAI... they dont go any lower than that even if ur calculations would make it lower. its just how the system is designed
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Charity Cohan
•This is correct. The FAFSA SAI formula has -1500 as the floor, meaning it won't calculate any value lower than that regardless of your financial situation. This replaced the old EFC system which couldn't go below 0. The -1500 floor was specifically designed to help identify students with the greatest financial need for additional institutional aid consideration beyond federal programs.
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Cedric Chung
Okay I'm understanding better now. So next question - do I need to do anything special to make sure I get the maximum aid? Or will this just automatically happen because of my negative SAI?
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Talia Klein
•Your maximum Pell Grant should be automatic based on your SAI. However, for institutional aid (grants and scholarships directly from your school), I'd recommend contacting your school's financial aid office directly. Some schools require additional applications or have priority deadlines for their institutional funds. Make sure they know about any special circumstances too - job loss, medical expenses, etc. that weren't fully captured in the FAFSA.
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Maxwell St. Laurent
Watch out for verificaton!!!!! My SAI was negative but then I got selected for verification and had to send in ALL my tax docs and it took FOREVER to process. Don't spend the money before you actually get it lol
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Cedric Chung
•Ugh I'm nervous about verification! Does everyone get selected for it or is it random? I already submitted all my tax info through the IRS data retrieval tool, so hopefully that helps avoid it?
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Charity Cohan
Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool definitely reduces your chances of being selected for verification, but selection can still happen randomly or if there are discrepancies in your application. About 18% of FAFSA filers get selected for verification, so it's not uncommon, but it's not something everyone experiences either. If you are selected, respond promptly with all requested documentation to avoid delays in your financial aid disbursement.
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Annabel Kimball
•at our school more like 30% get verification & negative SAI applicants get picked more often... just sayin be prepared cuz aid won't disburse til verification complete!!!
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Cedric Chung
So just to be super clear: Negative SAI = Good, means I'll likely get max Pell Grant ($7,395 for full-time, right?), but I should still contact my specific school about their institutional aid process and be prepared for possible verification. Thanks everyone for the help! This has been so confusing to figure out on my own.
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Talia Klein
•You've got it exactly right! And yes, the maximum Pell Grant for the 2025-2026 year is expected to be around $7,395 for full-time enrollment. Just remember that your actual aid package will depend on your school's cost of attendance, your enrollment status (full-time vs. part-time), and any other scholarships or grants you receive. Best of luck with your education financing!
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