Should I notify colleges about my niece's -1500 SAI score from FAFSA preview before March 15 notifications?

just wait. admissions ppl HATE when parents try to game the systm. they get all the info anyway when fafsa sends it to them

I work in a financial aid office at a community college. At our school, we automatically receive all FAFSA information electronically once it's processed by Federal Student Aid. The schools your niece listed on her FAFSA will already have access to her information - including her SAI score - through their financial aid portals. There's no need to email them separately with this information. In fact, it might just create confusion or extra work for their processing teams. The schools are already building aid packages based on the electronic data they've received. I'd recommend waiting for the official award letters after March 15th. If she wants to follow up on anything, she can contact the financial aid offices directly after that date.

That -1500 SAI score is awesome!! When my daughter got a negative SAI last year, she got AMAZING aid packages from most schools. Like full tuition at two state schools and almost full ride at one private college!! The negative SAI basically tells schools she has high need. I think they already have this info tho from the FAFSA submission.

Just wanted to point out that the SAI estimate from the FAFSA completion event might not be final. Did your niece get selected for verification? About 30% of FAFSA applications get flagged for verification, which can change the final SAI. Until she gets official notification that her FAFSA is fully processed, I wouldn't count on that exact number.

I tried calling student aid about my sons verification issues for THREE DAYS and couldn't get through. The wait times are ridiculous and they just disconnect you after an hour on hold. So frustrating!!!!

At the college where I work, we're required to use the official SAI number that comes through on the ISIR (that's the institutional version of your FAFSA data). Even if you sent the screenshot, we couldn't officially use it for awarding. And as someone else mentioned, the schools already have access to this data if your niece included them on her FAFSA. I've occasionally seen well-meaning families try to advocate by sending this kind of information directly, but honestly, it doesn't change anything in our processing and sometimes just creates confusion. Best to wait for the official aid offers to come out, then if you have questions or want to discuss special circumstances, reach out to the financial aid offices directly.

that -1500 score sounds 2 good to b true tbh. how is she independent? most students under 24 cant claim that unless they have a kid or are married or military or somethin

Just to add a bit more context - that negative SAI is definitely favorable for aid eligibility. The more negative the SAI, the more need-based aid a student typically qualifies for. Since your niece has an SAI of -1500, she'll likely qualify for the maximum Pell Grant (around $7,395 for the 2025-2026 year) plus potentially significant institutional aid depending on the schools. Once the official packages come out after March 15th, make sure she compares them carefully. Sometimes schools with higher sticker prices actually end up being more affordable after all aid is applied. And don't hesitate to contact financial aid offices if she has questions about her packages - that's what we're here for!

One more thing - tell your niece to check her state's grant deadline!! Many states have FAFSA deadlines in February or early March for state grants, which can be thousands of dollars. If she misses those deadlines she could lose out on free money even with that awesome SAI score.