Why did my son get more financial aid than my daughter with same FAFSA - both sophomores?

Financial aid packages can differ between siblings for several reasons, even with the same FAFSA info. The schools they attend likely have different funding models, institutional aid policies, and cost of attendance. Your daughter's school might have less institutional funding or different distribution formulas. The slight SAI difference (about $226) might indicate small variations in how you entered information. This isn't a gender issue - it's about individual school resources and policies.

my son got wayyyy more $$$ than my daughter too!! like $5000 more and they both had same stats. daughter was FURIOUS. turns out his school had more institutional grants. daughters school said they "prioritized merit aid over need-based" whatever that means 🙄 call your daughters financial aid office!!

This is a common source of confusion! The SAI difference of 226 points could be from a few things: 1. **Different contribution from student income** - Even slight differences in their individual earnings or assets can change the SAI 2. **Schools can have different methodologies** - Some schools use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA for institutional aid 3. **The actual aid packages** - Remember SAI isn't the final aid amount; schools package aid differently based on their available resources I'd recommend requesting a detailed breakdown of each aid package and specifically ask what methodology they used. Some schools cover 100% of demonstrated need, others might only cover 70-80%.

When my twins both applied to different schools, we got COMPLETELY different packages too. The school with the higher sticker price actually ended up cheaper after aid! Makes no sense but that's how the system works.

If you want to appeal your daughter's financial aid package, you absolutely can! I went through this exact situation with my kids. The financial aid appeals process varies by school, but generally: 1. Contact the financial aid office directly to ask about their appeals process 2. Prepare documentation showing the discrepancy between siblings' awards 3. Write a formal appeal letter mentioning your son's better package and requesting comparable consideration 4. Be polite but persistent Many schools have special consideration for siblings in college and might adjust the package if you point out the discrepancy.

Have u tried calling the school???? My cousin had this EXACT PROBLEM and she called like 5 times until someone finally told her there was an "error" in how they calculated her daughters aid. Keep calling!!!

I've been through this with the Federal Student Aid office many times. If you're having trouble getting through on the phone, I highly recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It saved me hours of frustration when dealing with my twins' different aid packages. They'll wait on hold with FSA for you and call you when an agent is on the line. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ This way you can actually speak to someone who can explain why there's a difference in the SAI calculations. In my case, it turned out there was an error in how my daughter's assets were calculated versus my son's.

One important factor that nobody has mentioned yet: did both of your children apply for the exact same financial aid programs? Some grants and scholarships require separate applications beyond just the FAFSA. Your son might have applied for additional institutional aid programs that your daughter didn't.

My BFF works in financial aid and says people mess up the FAFSA all the time without realizing it!! Like putting a decimal in wrong place or checking wrong box about assets. Tiny mistakes = big $$$ differences

Update us after you speak with both financial aid offices! I'm curious to hear what explanation they provide. If you need help interpreting their responses, many of us here have been through similar situations and can help decode the financial aid jargon.

I went through something similar with my two kids last year! Here's what I learned from my experience: first, print out both FAFSA forms and go line by line to compare what you entered - sometimes there are subtle differences we don't notice. Second, the schools' cost of attendance calculations can vary significantly, which affects the final aid package even with similar SAIs. Third, definitely appeal your daughter's package - I wrote a letter explaining the sibling discrepancy and my daughter's school actually increased her aid by $2,200! The key is being persistent and providing documentation. Don't give up - the squeaky wheel gets the grease in financial aid!

As someone who just went through this exact situation with my twins, I can tell you the difference is likely due to the schools' different funding models and endowments. My daughter's public university had much less institutional aid available compared to my son's private college, even though her SAI was actually lower. The $226 SAI difference could be from small variations in how student assets or income were reported - even a few hundred dollars in a savings account can shift the calculation. Don't assume it's discrimination - focus on the appeal process. I'd recommend calling both schools' financial aid offices on the same day and asking them to walk you through exactly how they calculated the packages. Sometimes just having them re-review the file can uncover errors or additional aid opportunities!

I just went through this exact situation last year with my daughter and son! The frustration is so real. What helped me was creating a spreadsheet comparing not just their FAFSA info, but also each school's Cost of Attendance breakdown, their endowment sizes, and what percentage of need they typically meet. It turned out my son's school had a much larger endowment and met 95% of demonstrated need while my daughter's only met 75%. The SAI difference you mentioned could be from something as small as different reporting of student summer earnings or even how you rounded numbers. I'd also suggest checking if your son's school uses CSS Profile for additional institutional aid - that could explain the gap. When I appealed my daughter's package, I included a comparison chart showing the sibling discrepancy and referenced their school's own published statistics about aid coverage. She ended up getting an additional $1,800! Don't let them brush you off - you have every right to ask for a detailed explanation of how they calculated her package.

I'm new to this community but dealing with a similar situation right now! My twins are applying for next year and I'm already seeing differences in their preliminary aid estimates from different schools. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - especially the suggestions about comparing FAFSA forms line by line and looking into each school's endowment size and need-meeting percentages. I had no idea that such small differences in student income or assets could create different SAIs. The appeal process sounds like it's definitely worth pursuing based on everyone's success stories here. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's giving me a roadmap for when we go through this process!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! My daughter and son both submitted their FAFSAs last month, and I'm already seeing red flags in their preliminary aid estimates. What really struck me from reading everyone's experiences is how much the individual schools' policies and endowments matter - I never realized that two siblings could have such different outcomes even with nearly identical family financial situations. I'm definitely going to implement the spreadsheet comparison approach that several people mentioned, and I love the idea of calling both schools on the same day to get them to walk through their calculations. It's reassuring to know that appeals can actually work - hearing about the $1,800 and $2,200 increases gives me hope that it's worth fighting for. Has anyone had success appealing based on a sibling attending a different school getting better aid, even if the schools are completely different (like public vs private)?

I'm a financial aid counselor and see this situation frequently! The $226 SAI difference is actually pretty typical between siblings and could stem from several factors: different student earnings (even $100 difference in work-study or summer jobs affects the calculation), slight variations in how assets were reported, or even different enrollment statuses at the time of filing. More importantly, the $3,700 aid difference is likely due to institutional factors - your son's school probably has different aid formulas, endowment resources, or cost of attendance calculations. I'd recommend requesting a "Professional Judgment Review" from your daughter's school rather than a standard appeal - this specifically allows them to consider family circumstances like having multiple children in college. Also ask both schools for their "Common Data Set" which shows exactly what percentage of demonstrated need they typically meet. This will give you concrete data to reference in your appeal!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by how helpful everyone's responses have been! I'm actually facing a very similar situation with my own kids - my daughter's aid package came in significantly lower than her twin brother's, even though we filed identical FAFSA information. Reading through all these experiences has been so educational. I had no idea that factors like endowment size, institutional aid policies, and even tiny differences in student earnings could create such disparities. The suggestion about using Claimyr to get through to FSA on the phone sounds like a game-changer - I've been on hold for hours trying to get answers! I'm definitely going to try the line-by-line FAFSA comparison and create that spreadsheet comparing the schools' aid statistics. It's encouraging to hear so many success stories about appeals - especially knowing that increases of $1,500-$2,200 are possible. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and giving those of us new to this process a roadmap to follow!

I'm new to this community but going through the exact same frustrating situation! My twins are juniors now and we just got their aid packages - one got $4,200 more than the other despite identical FAFSA info. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly eye-opening, especially learning about how different schools' endowments and aid policies can create such huge disparities. I had no idea about the Professional Judgment Review process that Sophia mentioned - that sounds way more specific than just doing a general appeal. The spreadsheet comparison idea is genius too. I'm definitely going to try the Claimyr service to actually get through to someone at FSA about the SAI differences. It's so encouraging to hear about everyone's success stories with appeals - knowing that $1,500-$2,200 increases are possible gives me hope! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and creating such a supportive community for parents navigating this confusing system.

I'm new here but going through this exact nightmare right now! Just got my twins' aid packages yesterday and I'm seeing a $2,900 difference even though I used the exact same financial information for both FAFSAs. Reading through everyone's experiences has been so helpful - I had no idea that things like endowment sizes and institutional aid policies could create such huge disparities between siblings. The suggestion about doing a line-by-line FAFSA comparison is brilliant, and I'm definitely going to try that Claimyr service to actually get through to FSA without waiting on hold forever. It's really encouraging to see so many success stories with appeals - hearing about people getting $1,500-$2,200 increases gives me hope that fighting for this is worth it. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and creating such a supportive space for parents dealing with this confusing system!