What does a FAFSA SAI of 8630 mean for my financial aid package?

SAI of 8630 basically means the govt thinks your family can contribute that much per year toward your education. So they expect you to come up with $8,630 per year before giving you need-based aid. It's not terrible but not great either. Each school will use this to determine your aid package.

An SAI (Student Aid Index) of 8630 means you'll likely qualify for some aid, but probably not full Pell Grants. The max Pell for 2025-2026 goes to students with an SAI of 0-3000. With 8630, you might get a partial Pell Grant. Your school will use this number to calculate your need (Cost of Attendance minus your SAI). Since your school costs $37k, you'd have demonstrated need of about $28,370, which could be filled with work-study, subsidized loans, and possibly some institutional grants/scholarships.

I had an SAI around 8200 last year and got about $1500 in Pell Grants plus subsidized loans. Different schools give different packages tho!

I think you'll be ok!! My SAI was like 12000 and I still got some aid. Just make sure to apply for as many private scholarships as you can. I applied for like 30 last year and got 3 but it was worth it cuz that was an extra $5000.

Remember the SAI is just one part of the equation. Each college has their own formula for calculating aid. Some schools have really good institutional aid that isn't related to your FAFSA results. Make sure you contact the financial aid office at your dream school and explain your situation. Sometimes they have special funds for students in your exact position.

If you're having trouble reaching your school's financial aid office, you might want to check out Claimyr.com. They helped me get through to FSA when I had issues with my FAFSA calculation. They basically hold your place in line so you don't have to stay on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Seriously saved me hours of frustration when I was trying to appeal my SAI.

Everyone here is giving great advice but I want to add that an SAI of 8630 is actually pretty good considering your household income. With your mom making $58k as a single parent, I would have expected your SAI to be higher. The fact that it's 8630 suggests you had some factors that reduced it (like being a single-parent household). Don't stress too much - you'll qualify for subsidized loans at minimum, probably some grants, and potentially good institutional aid depending on the school.

DONT TRUST THE SAI!!!! The new FAFSA formula is COMPLETELY BROKEN!!!! My sister and I have almost identical financial situations but her SAI came back 5000 HIGHER than mine for no reason!!!! The whole system is rigged and nobody at FSA will even explain how they calculate it. I spent 3 weeks trying to get through to someone who could actually explain the calculation and they just kept transferring me around.

Update: I finally spoke with my school's financial aid office! With my SAI of 8630, they're offering me a $2,250 Pell Grant, $5,500 in subsidized loans, $4,000 in unsubsidized loans, and a $12,000 institutional grant! Plus work-study for $3,500. That leaves about $9,750 I need to figure out, but it's WAY better than I expected. Thanks everyone for your help and advice!