Where to find my daughter's SAI score after FAFSA processing?
My daughter's FAFSA application finally shows 'processed' status on studentaid.gov, but I'm completely lost trying to find her SAI score. I've clicked through every tab and section of the dashboard but don't see it anywhere. She needs this number for some scholarship applications due next week. Is the SAI in a separate email? Do we have to wait for schools to receive it? I'm starting to panic because her counselor said some merit scholarships require the SAI number directly from us. Help!
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Finnegan Gunn
The SAI (Student Aid Index) isn't displayed directly on studentaid.gov anymore. After processing, the SAI is sent to the schools listed on your daughter's FAFSA. She'll need to check her student portals for each school she applied to - most schools will display the SAI in their financial aid section once they've imported her FAFSA data. Some schools also send financial aid award letters that include the SAI.
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Alina Rosenthal
•Thanks for explaining! So frustrating they don't just show it on the FAFSA site. Do you know how long it typically takes for schools to receive and post the SAI? Her scholarship deadlines are coming up fast.
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Miguel Harvey
we had same problem last year!! the schools take FOREVER to post it and some never did. we ended up having to call each financial aid office directly to get the number. took like 3 weeks total ugh
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Alina Rosenthal
•Three weeks?! We don't have that kind of time with these scholarship deadlines. Did calling actually speed things up or did you still have to wait?
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Ashley Simian
The SAI is only visible to schools, not on the studentaid.gov portal. For scholarship deadlines, you have two options: 1. Contact each school's financial aid office directly and request the SAI. Tell them it's for scholarship applications with upcoming deadlines. 2. You can also call Federal Student Aid directly at 1-800-433-3243. They can verify the SAI over the phone if the FAFSA is fully processed. Make sure to have your daughter's FSA ID info and personal identifiers ready when calling.
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Alina Rosenthal
•Thank you! We'll try both options. The FSA phone line is always so busy though - I tried calling yesterday and gave up after 45 minutes on hold.
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Oliver Cheng
I went through this exact situation last month with my son's applications. The 1-800 FSA number is basically impossible to get through to - I tried for THREE DAYS and never got a person! Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of holding and I got the SAI number directly from FSA. They have a video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ
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Alina Rosenthal
•That sounds like exactly what we need! I'll check out Claimyr right now. Just to confirm - the FSA agents can provide the SAI number over the phone? Do they need my daughter on the call too or just her FSA ID?
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Oliver Cheng
•They'll need either your daughter on the call OR you'll need to be listed as a contributor on her FAFSA with your own FSA ID. When I called, they verified some personal info and then gave me the SAI. Much faster than waiting for all the schools to process it!
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Taylor To
my daughters SAI was actually in her student portal for one of the colleges after like 5 days but not the others?? so weird. might want to check all the portals individually instead of waiting for emails
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Alina Rosenthal
•That's a good idea, I'll have her check all the portals tonight. Did your daughter have to do anything special to make the SAI appear or did it just show up automatically?
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Ella Cofer
One clarification - schools don't always call it "SAI" in their systems. Some still call it EFC (Expected Family Contribution) which was the old term, and others call it the "federal index number" or just "index number." When checking portals or talking to financial aid offices, ask for all those terms if you don't see SAI specifically mentioned. Also, for future reference, your FAFSA acknowledgment - the email confirming processing was complete - should contain a link to view the SAI. Did you check that email carefully?
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Alina Rosenthal
•We received the processing confirmation email yesterday but there wasn't any link or mention of the SAI in it at all. Just a generic message saying the FAFSA was processed and would be sent to her selected schools. I'll make sure to ask about EFC and index numbers when we call - thank you for that tip!
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Ella Cofer
•That's strange about the email not having the SAI. The FAFSA system has been really inconsistent this year after all the changes. Definitely call FSA directly and be prepared to wait or use that callback service someone mentioned. Good luck with those scholarship deadlines!
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Kevin Bell
This is why the new FAFSA is TRASH. They removed access to critical information that families need and made everything 10x harder than before. My son's FAFSA has been "processed" for 3 weeks and still no SAI anywhere. The whole system is broken and nobody at FSA seems to care!!!
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Miguel Harvey
•omg yes!!! the new system is AWFUL!! took us forever last year and this year is even worse for my younger kid. they shoulda never changed it if they weren't ready
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Finnegan Gunn
•While the transition has been frustrating, remember that the SAI calculation is more favorable for many families than the old EFC formula. Many students are qualifying for more aid under the new system, especially those with siblings in college. The implementation has been rocky, but the underlying changes are generally beneficial.
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Alina Rosenthal
Update: We tried calling FSA this morning using Claimyr, and it worked perfectly! Got a callback in about 35 minutes and the agent was able to provide my daughter's SAI after verifying her information. For anyone else looking - I needed her FSA ID, date of birth, and SSN. The agent explained that the confirmation emails no longer include the SAI due to security concerns. We've already submitted the number to the scholarship committees. Thanks everyone for your help!
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Ashley Simian
•Glad you got it resolved! For anyone reading this in the future, this is the most reliable way to get the SAI quickly. The schools sometimes take weeks to import FAFSA data, especially during peak application season.
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Kevin Bell
•Thanks for the update! Still ridiculous that they make it this complicated, but at least you found a solution in time for the deadlines.
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QuantumQuester
Great to hear you got it sorted out with Claimyr! I'm dealing with the same issue right now for my twin daughters - both FAFSAs processed but no SAI visible anywhere. I was dreading spending hours on hold with FSA, so I'm definitely going to try that callback service. Quick question - did they give you the SAI for both kids in one call, or did you need separate calls since they have different FSA IDs?
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Zara Malik
•I had to make separate calls for each child since they each have their own FSA ID and FAFSA application. The agent explained that they can only access one student's information per call for privacy reasons, even if they're siblings. The good news is that Claimyr lets you schedule multiple callbacks, so I was able to set up both calls back-to-back. The second call was actually faster since the agent already had my parent information verified from the first call. Hope this helps with your twins!
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Andre Moreau
Just wanted to add another option that worked for us - if your daughter's colleges use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA, some schools will display the SAI in their CSS Profile institutional methodology calculations even before they fully process the FAFSA data. We found our son's SAI listed in the financial aid portal of a private college that uses CSS Profile about a week before the other schools had it available. It's worth checking if any of her schools use CSS Profile and logging into those portals first. Also, some state financial aid websites (like Cal Grant in California) will show the SAI once they receive the FAFSA data, which can be faster than waiting for individual colleges.
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