What's considered a "good" SAI number for college financial aid eligibility?

Thanks for explaining! So it seems like my number isn't terrible? Do you think I should be calling each financial aid office to ask about my chances or wait for their official packages? I'm getting really anxious about being able to afford college.

That's actually really encouraging to hear. Did you have to do anything special to get that aid or did they just offer it based on your FAFSA?

nope just the regular fafsa, but i did follow up with a call to make sure they had everything they needed. the financial aid office actually found me eligible for a state grant i didnt know about!

Wow thank you for the detailed breakdown! I didn't realize being first-gen might help with additional scholarships. I'll look into that. What's the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans? I keep seeing both mentioned.

The key difference is that with subsidized loans, the government pays the interest while you're in school (at least half-time) and during deferment periods. With unsubsidized loans, interest accumulates the entire time, even while you're studying. Always accept subsidized loans first before considering unsubsidized. Many students with your SAI qualify for both types, but the subsidized ones will save you money in the long run.

While I understand your frustration, the variance in awards isn't always because the system is rigged. Different schools have different funding sources and awarding methodologies. State universities often have limited need-based aid and focus more on merit scholarships. Did your son apply for any merit-based scholarships? Also, some students might appear to get more because they received specific departmental or restricted scholarships that aren't available to everyone. I'd recommend scheduling an appointment with the financial aid office to understand why the award was lower than expected rather than assuming it was unfair.

We DID call them and they gave us some runaround about "limited state funding" and "high demand" year. They also mentioned something about his application being complete later than others. Apparently it's first come first served!!! How is that fair?? Nobody told us that before! Just another way they keep regular families from getting aid!

does this actually work?? i've been trying to call fafsa for 3 days about a verification issue and keep getting disconnected!!

Yes! That's exactly what happened to me before. It's frustrating when you really need answers and can't get through. The service connected me right away and I finally got my questions answered.

Thank you so much for this professional insight! One of the private colleges I'm looking at requires the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. Will that help or hurt me? And does being first-generation really make a difference like someone mentioned above?

The CSS Profile typically helps students in your situation because it collects more detailed financial information than FAFSA. While it asks about additional assets, it also allows schools to consider expenses FAFSA ignores (like medical costs, debt payments, or support for extended family). And yes, first-generation status absolutely matters at many institutions. Schools often have specific grants, scholarships, and support programs exclusively for first-gen students. Make sure this is clearly indicated on all your applications, and don't be shy about highlighting it in any supplemental essays or communications with financial aid offices.

That makes me feel better about my number! I've been researching some outside scholarships too. Do you think it's worth applying to smaller scholarships ($500-1000) or should I focus on the bigger ones?

DEFINITELY apply to the smaller ones!! those were actually the only ones i got lol. the big scholarships have wayyy more competition. i applied to like 25 small local scholarships and got 4 of them, which added up to about $3000. not huge but it paid for my books and some expenses.

That's a perfect summary of the advice! One last tip: once you receive all your financial aid offers, if one school you really want to attend offers less than another, you can sometimes use the better offer as leverage. Contact your preferred school's financial aid office, explain you'd really prefer to attend their institution but have received more generous offers elsewhere, and ask if they can review your aid package. This works more often than students realize, especially if you approach it respectfully and have documentation of the competing offers.

This is exactly the kind of real-world perspective I needed to hear! It's amazing that the private school ended up being your cheapest option - I never would have expected that. I'm definitely going to create a spreadsheet to compare everything once the offers come in. Can I ask what you mean by "schools with good endowments"? How do I figure out which schools those are? And did you apply to a lot of first-gen specific scholarships separately or were most of them automatic considerations through the schools themselves?

Great questions! For endowments, you can usually find this info on college websites or sites like College Navigator. Look for schools with endowments over $500 million - they tend to have more money for need-based aid. Schools like Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore are known for great aid, but even some lesser-known private colleges with decent endowments can be generous. For first-gen scholarships, it was mostly automatic through the schools themselves once I indicated first-gen status on applications. But I also applied to about 6 external first-gen scholarships I found through sites like Fastweb and Scholarships.com. The external ones were smaller ($1000-2500 each) but every bit helps! Some community organizations and local businesses also have first-gen scholarships that aren't well-publicized, so check with your high school counselor too. The key is really applying broadly - I applied to 12 schools total which felt like a lot at the time, but it gave me great options to compare. You've got this!

Great questions! For endowments, you can usually find this info on college websites or sites like CollegeData.com. Look for schools with endowments over $1 billion - they typically have more flexible aid budgets. Schools like many liberal arts colleges, Ivies, and well-funded private universities tend to be generous. For first-gen scholarships, it was a mix! Some were automatic - the schools just factored it into their aid calculations once I indicated first-gen status on applications. But I also applied to about 6 external first-gen specific scholarships through organizations like the First Generation Foundation and some local community groups. The external ones required separate essays but were totally worth it. One thing I wish I'd known earlier - some schools have special first-gen programs that provide mentoring and additional funding throughout college, not just freshman year. Definitely ask about those during campus visits or when talking to admissions!

When I talk about schools with good endowments, I mean colleges that have large amounts of money set aside specifically for financial aid. You can usually find this info on their websites under "financial aid" or by googling "[school name] endowment size." Schools like the Ivies, top liberal arts colleges, and some well-funded state schools tend to have more money to give out in grants rather than just loans. For the first-gen scholarships, it was actually a mix of both! Some schools automatically flagged me for first-gen programs when I indicated it on my applications, but I also applied to probably 15-20 external first-gen scholarships. The external ones were smaller amounts ($500-$2000 each) but they added up. Organizations like the First Generation Foundation, United Negro College Fund (if applicable), and local community foundations often have first-gen specific awards. I spent about 2 hours every weekend during senior year just applying to scholarships - it was tedious but totally worth it when those small amounts started adding up to real money!

This is so encouraging to hear from someone who was in almost the exact same situation just two years ago! It's really reassuring that you ended up with good options and that the private college became your most affordable choice. I'm definitely going to take your advice about applying to 8-10 schools - I was originally thinking of just doing 6 but it sounds like having more options to compare is really important. Can I ask how you found those small external scholarships? Did you use specific websites or databases, or was it more about checking with local organizations? I'm willing to put in the work applying to lots of smaller ones if they really do add up like you mentioned. Also, when you highlight first-gen status, do you mean just checking the box on applications or actually writing about it in essays and personal statements too?

For finding those small scholarships, I used a combination of approaches! I started with the big databases like Scholarships.com and Fastweb, but honestly the best ones I found were through local sources - my high school counselor had a list of community scholarships, I checked with our local United Way, community foundation, and even businesses in town. Many local scholarships have way fewer applicants so your odds are much better. I probably spent 2-3 hours every weekend senior year just applying to anything I was eligible for. For highlighting first-gen status, definitely do both! Check every box available, but also weave it into essays when relevant. I wrote about how being first-gen motivated me academically and how I planned to give back to my community. Many schools specifically ask about challenges you've overcome - first-gen status absolutely counts as that. Don't be shy about it - colleges genuinely want to support first-generation students and many have specific programs and resources just for us. It's one of your biggest advantages in this process, so make sure admissions and financial aid offices know about it!