What does SAI 2924 mean for Pell Grant eligibility? Will my son qualify for any aid?
Just got my son's FAFSA results and his SAI score is 2924. I'm completely lost about what this actually means for his financial aid package. Will he qualify for any Pell Grant money with this number? How about other types of federal aid? This is our first time going through the college financial aid process, and these numbers might as well be hieroglyphics. The financial aid office at his top choice school isn't answering phones, and I'm getting nervous about making decisions without understanding what he'll actually receive. Any insights appreciated!!
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CaptainAwesome
Congrats! SAI 2924 is pretty good! My daughter got 8700 last yr and still qualified for some aid but no Pell. I think Pell cutoff is somewhere around 6000? Not sure tho
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Amara Okafor
•Thanks! Do you remember what kind of aid she qualified for with the 8700? Just trying to get a sense of what we might expect.
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Yuki Tanaka
An SAI of 2924 is definitely within the Pell Grant eligibility range for the 2025-2026 academic year. The maximum SAI for Pell eligibility is expected to be around 7190. With your son's SAI of 2924, he should qualify for a substantial Pell Grant - likely not the maximum amount ($7,395), but probably in the $5,000-$6,000 range depending on his enrollment status (full-time vs part-time). Beyond Pell, he'll likely qualify for other federal aid including: - Direct Subsidized Loans (the government pays interest while in school) - Work-study opportunities at many institutions - Possibly institutional grants depending on the college Each school will put together a unique financial aid package, so the exact amounts will vary. Make sure to review each aid offer carefully when they arrive!
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Amara Okafor
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I had no idea he might qualify for that much in Pell Grants. The subsidized loans sound better than the other options too since they don't accumulate interest during school. Really appreciate the breakdown.
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Esmeralda Gómez
My son had an SAI around 3100 last year and got about $5800 in Pell plus eligible for subsidized loans. Every school offered different additional aid tho
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Klaus Schmidt
•Did different schools interpret his SAI differently? We're applying to 6 schools and I'm wondering if they'll all give different aid packages even with the same FAFSA information.
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Esmeralda Gómez
•Yep! Federal aid (like Pell) was the same everywhere but some schools gave him extra grants from their own funds. Private colleges gave more than state schools in our case
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Aisha Patel
THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS SO CONFUSING ON PURPOSE!!! I spent hours trying to figure out my daughter's aid last year. Called FSA like 20 times and could never get through. They don't want us to understand how little they actually help families!!!!
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LilMama23
•I was facing the exact same problem last month - calling over and over with no answer. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and called me back when an agent was available. Saved me hours of frustration and I got clear answers about my son's SAI calculation. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - definitely worth it when you need to actually speak to someone at FSA.
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Dmitri Volkov
SAI is confusing but basically just tells schools how much your family can pay according to federal formula. Lower = more aid. Your 2924 is pretty low so that's good news! The financial aid offices will use this number to build aid packages. Some will meet 100% of need, others won't. Ask each school about their "need-meeting policy" to understand difference between cost of attendance and what aid they'll actually offer.
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Amara Okafor
•I never thought to ask about their "need-meeting policy" - that's a great suggestion. Will definitely be asking about that when we talk to financial aid offices.
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Klaus Schmidt
I'm so confused by all of this too! My daughter got an SAI of 1500 but then her friend whose family makes more money got an SAI of 900?? How does that even make sense? The whole system seems so arbitrary!!
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Yuki Tanaka
•SAI calculations consider many factors beyond just income - things like family size, number of college students in household, assets (with some exclusions), and certain income protections. Two families with similar incomes can have very different SAIs based on these other factors. For example, having multiple children in college simultaneously can dramatically lower an SAI.
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Esmeralda Gómez
Don't forget to check if your state has any grants too! Many states have their own financial aid that uses FAFSA info but has different cutoffs. My son qualified for state grant with similar SAI to yours.
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Amara Okafor
•That's a great point! I'll look into our state grants right away. Every little bit helps.
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Gabrielle Dubois
when my son got his fafsa last year we were so confused too the aid letters from different schools looked COMPLETELY different some showed loans as "aid" which is so misleading!!! make sure you know whats actually free money (grants/scholarships) vs what has to be paid back (loans
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CaptainAwesome
•OMG yes!!! One school listed $10k in parent plus loans as "aid" in big letters at top of the page. Like thanks for the "aid" that puts me in debt lol
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Yuki Tanaka
One more thing to know - many private colleges require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. The CSS looks at more financial details and can result in different aid packages. If any of your son's schools require CSS, make sure to complete that too. Some institutions use it to award their own institutional aid, which can be substantial at well-endowed schools.
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Amara Okafor
•I had no idea about this CSS Profile. One of the schools on our list is a private college, so this is really important information. Thank you!
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Aaron Lee
Welcome to the financial aid maze! As someone who just went through this with my daughter, I can tell you that an SAI of 2924 is actually pretty good news. You're definitely in Pell Grant territory - my daughter had a similar SAI and received about $5,200 in Pell funding. One thing I wish I'd known earlier is to start reaching out to the financial aid offices at each school NOW, even if they're not answering phones. Try emailing them with your specific SAI and ask for a preliminary estimate of what aid package you might expect. Most schools have online net price calculators too that can give you a rough idea. Also, don't panic if the first aid letters you get look confusing - they all format them differently and some make loans look like "free money" when they're not. Focus on grants and scholarships first, then subsidized loans if needed. You've got this!
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