No Pell Grant despite negative SAI (-1500) in financial aid package - what's going on?

call the fin aid office!! i had something similar happen but mine said "pell grant: pending" and turns out they were waiting on verification docs they never told me about 🙄

With a negative SAI of -1500, your daughter should definitely qualify for some Pell Grant funding. For the 2025-2026 year, most students with negative SAIs receive the maximum Pell amount (around $7,395). This sounds like an administrative error or possibly an incomplete application issue. Three possible reasons for this discrepancy: 1. Verification flag on your FAFSA that needs to be cleared 2. Citizenship/residency documentation issue (even with a green card, sometimes additional verification is needed) 3. Simple clerical error in how they processed her package I'd recommend checking your daughter's studentaid.gov account first to verify her FAFSA status shows as complete and processed, then contact the school's financial aid office directly. Ask specifically about her Pell Grant eligibility related to her negative SAI score.

My son had this EXACT problem last year!!! The school didnt process his citizenship status right even tho he submitted his green card. The financial aid packages are AUTOGENERATED by their system and sometimes miss things. Call them!!!

did you complete the CSS Profile too? some schools require both FAFSA and CSS and if you only did FAFSA they might not give you the full aid package

I work in financial aid and can confirm this is almost certainly because you've been selected for verification. When a FAFSA is flagged for verification, schools will typically hold all federal aid (including Pell Grants) until the verification process is complete. With your negative SAI, you should definitely qualify for the full Pell Grant once verification is cleared. Check your daughter's student portal or email for verification requests. You'll likely need to submit tax transcripts, W-2 forms, and possibly a verification worksheet. Once that's processed, they should update her package with the Pell Grant amount. This is incredibly common and happens to about 30% of FAFSA filers, so don't worry! Just make sure to complete verification as soon as possible since some institutional aid may have deadlines.

The financial aid system is COMPLETELY BROKEN!! My daughter had a -2400 SAI and they still tried to deny her Pell by claiming we didn't submit some random form they never told us about until MAY when all the institutional scholarships were gone!!! They do this ON PURPOSE to reduce how much aid they give out. CALL THEM EVERY DAY until they fix it!!

If you're having trouble reaching the financial aid office, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was in a similar situation trying to resolve a verification issue and kept getting disconnected after long holds. Claimyr got me through to an actual person at the Federal Student Aid office who helped sort out my daughter's FAFSA verification issue. The service basically waits on hold for you and calls you when a real person picks up. There's a video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and the website is claimyr.com. Saved me hours of frustration when we were dealing with aid issues.

btw just fyi pell grant and sai are different from subsidized loans... make sure ur not confusing them!!! pell u dont pay back but loans u do even if theyre subsidized

After seeing your updates, it's clear this is a verification issue. Here's what you need to do immediately: 1. Complete all verification documents exactly as requested 2. Submit them through the school's official portal (not email unless specifically instructed) 3. Follow up with a phone call 3-5 business days after submission to confirm receipt 4. Ask for an estimated timeline for when the verification will be processed 5. Request that they update the financial aid package once verification is complete With a negative SAI of -1500, your daughter should receive the maximum Pell Grant amount once verification is processed. This is very common and not something to worry about - just make sure to complete everything promptly as some schools have internal deadlines for verification completion.

my cousin works in financial aid and says sometimes the first aid package is just preliminary and they update it later when everything is verified

Quick update on verification timing expectations: For the 2025-2026 aid year, most schools are processing verification documents within 2-3 weeks during the summer months. Make sure everything you submit is complete and matches exactly what was reported on the FAFSA. The most common verification issues are: 1. Tax information that doesn't match the FAFSA figures 2. Household size discrepancies 3. Missing signatures on forms Double-check everything before submitting. Once verification is complete, the Pell Grant should automatically be added to her package based on her negative SAI.

Just wanted to follow up on this thread since I see you found the verification request in your spam folder! This is such a common issue - I'd estimate about half the verification requests I see get missed because they end up in spam or students don't check their school email regularly. One tip for anyone else reading this: set up email filters or notifications for anything from your school's financial aid office. Also, many schools have a verification checklist in their student portal that shows exactly what documents are still needed and their status. Your daughter should definitely get that full Pell Grant once verification is complete. With your family income and that negative SAI, she'll likely qualify for the maximum amount plus potentially additional state grants depending on Florida's programs. Good luck getting everything sorted out!

I'm new to this whole financial aid process and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My son just submitted his FAFSA and I'm worried we might run into similar issues. A few questions for those who've been through this: 1. How do I make sure I don't miss verification requests like what happened here? 2. Should I be checking his student portal regularly even before he gets his aid package? 3. Are there any other common mistakes I should watch out for? It sounds like verification is pretty normal but I want to be prepared since we're also a lower-income family hoping for maximum Pell Grant eligibility. Thanks for all the detailed explanations everyone - this community is amazing!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with something similar - my daughter has a negative SAI of -800 and we're still waiting to hear back from her school about her aid package. After reading through all these responses, I'm definitely going to check her student portal and email (including spam!) to make sure we haven't missed any verification requests. It's reassuring to know that negative SAI should qualify for Pell Grant funding once everything is processed correctly. The verification process sounds like a pain but at least it's normal and not something schools are doing to deny aid on purpose. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this community is incredibly valuable for navigating all this financial aid confusion!

I'm a college counselor and just wanted to add that this verification issue is extremely common - you're definitely not alone! What I tell families is that about 1 in 3 FAFSA applications get selected for verification, and it's mostly random (though some factors like unusual income patterns can trigger it). The good news is that with your negative SAI of -1500, your daughter will almost certainly qualify for the maximum Pell Grant once verification clears. For 2025-26, that's $7,395. Just make sure when you submit those verification documents that everything matches your FAFSA exactly - even small discrepancies can cause delays. Also, don't panic about timing! Even if verification takes a few weeks, the Pell Grant will be retroactively applied to her account once it's processed. Schools are used to this process and will work with you on payment deadlines if needed. You're doing everything right by being proactive about this!

As someone who went through this exact situation last year, I can't stress enough how important it is to stay on top of the verification process! My daughter also had a negative SAI and initially didn't receive her Pell Grant due to missing verification documents. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned yet - if you're submitting tax transcripts, make sure to get them directly from the IRS website (irs.gov) rather than using copies of your tax returns. Many schools specifically require official IRS tax transcripts for verification, and using the wrong documents can cause additional delays. Also, once you submit everything, don't just wait - be proactive about following up! I called every few days to check on the status, and it turned out they had processed everything but forgot to update her aid package in the system. A quick phone call got that fixed immediately. With your negative SAI, your daughter should definitely get substantial Pell Grant funding once this is resolved. Hang in there - the verification process is frustrating but very common, and you'll get through it!

I'm just starting the FAFSA process for my twins who'll be starting college next year, and this entire thread has been incredibly educational! I had no idea about verification being so common or how important it is to check spam folders and student portals regularly. A few questions for the group: With twins both applying to different schools, should I expect both of them to potentially be selected for verification, or is it random per student? Also, when you all mention checking the student portal "regularly" - are we talking daily, weekly? I want to be proactive but don't want to drive myself crazy checking constantly. The information about needing IRS tax transcripts specifically (not just tax return copies) is exactly the kind of detail I needed to know ahead of time. Thank you all for being so thorough with your explanations - this community is going to be a lifesaver during this process!

This thread has been so educational! I'm a high school senior who just submitted my FAFSA last week and my SAI came back as -900. Reading about everyone's verification experiences has me a little nervous but also better prepared. I'm going to be proactive and check my student portals weekly like suggested, and I've already set up email filters to catch anything from financial aid offices. The tip about getting IRS tax transcripts directly from irs.gov instead of just using tax return copies is something I definitely wouldn't have known! One quick question - for those who went through verification, about how long did it take from when you submitted all documents to when your Pell Grant actually showed up in your aid package? I'm trying to plan ahead since I know summer is a busy time for financial aid offices. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community is amazing for first-time FAFSA filers like me!

I'm a parent going through the FAFSA process for the first time and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My daughter's SAI is -650 and we haven't received her aid package yet, but now I know exactly what to watch out for. Based on everyone's advice, I've already: - Set up email forwarding from her school email to mine - Created a bookmark to check her student portal weekly - Bookmarked the IRS website to get official tax transcripts if needed - Set up a dedicated file folder for all financial aid documents It's such a relief to know that verification is normal and not something we did wrong if it happens. The detailed explanations from people who work in financial aid offices have been especially valuable - knowing that negative SAI should qualify for substantial Pell Grant funding once verification clears takes a lot of the stress away. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and tips. This community is going to be essential for navigating this whole process!

As a newcomer to this community, I just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently helping my younger sibling navigate their first FAFSA and we're waiting to hear back from schools. Their SAI came out to -1200, so reading about everyone's experiences with negative SAI and verification has been really reassuring. The practical tips shared here are gold - especially about checking spam folders regularly, getting IRS tax transcripts directly from irs.gov, and being proactive about follow-up calls. It's clear that verification is just a normal part of the process for many families, not something to panic about. What I appreciate most is how people who work in financial aid took the time to explain the "why" behind these processes. Understanding that verification is a federal requirement and that negative SAI should lead to substantial Pell Grant funding once everything clears makes the whole situation much less stressful. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences and advice - this community is such a valuable resource for families navigating financial aid for the first time!