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!

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!

I'm new to this community but facing the exact same frustrating situation! My twins just got their financial aid packages and there's a $2,800 difference even though I used identical family financial information on both FAFSAs. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea that school endowments, institutional aid policies, and even tiny differences in student work earnings could create such huge disparities between siblings. The suggestion about requesting a Professional Judgment Review instead of a standard appeal sounds much more targeted, and I love the spreadsheet idea comparing each school's need-meeting percentages. It's really encouraging to see so many success stories with appeals resulting in $1,500-$2,200 increases! The Claimyr service for getting through to FSA also sounds like a game-changer since I've been stuck on hold for hours. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive community for parents navigating this confusing system. I'll definitely be implementing the line-by-line FAFSA comparison and documenting everything for my own appeal process!

I'm new to this community but currently going through this exact same situation with my twin daughters! They're both juniors and we just received their aid packages - there's a shocking $3,400 difference despite me using identical family financial information on both FAFSAs. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both reassuring and incredibly educational. I had no idea that factors like school endowments, institutional aid distribution policies, and even minor differences in student work earnings could create such significant disparities between siblings. The Professional Judgment Review process that Sophia mentioned sounds much more strategic than a general appeal, and the suggestion to request Common Data Sets for concrete need-meeting statistics is brilliant. I'm definitely going to implement the spreadsheet comparison approach and do that line-by-line FAFSA review to identify any subtle differences. The Claimyr service also sounds like a lifesaver - I've been stuck on hold with FSA for literally hours! It's incredibly encouraging to see so many success stories with appeals resulting in $1,500-$2,200 increases. Thank you all for creating such a knowledgeable and supportive community. I'll be sure to document everything and update everyone on how my Professional Judgment Review goes!

I'm new to this community but currently dealing with this exact same frustrating situation! My son and daughter are both sophomores and just received their aid packages with a $2,650 difference despite identical family financial information on their FAFSAs. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring - I had no idea that school endowments, institutional aid policies, and even small differences in student work earnings could create such significant disparities between siblings. The Professional Judgment Review process that Sophia mentioned sounds much more strategic than a general appeal, and I'm definitely going to request those Common Data Sets to get concrete statistics about each school's need coverage. The spreadsheet comparison approach and line-by-line FAFSA review suggestions are brilliant - I'm planning to implement both strategies before my appeals. It's so encouraging to see all the success stories with meaningful increases of $1,500-$2,200! The Claimyr service also sounds like a game-changer since I've been stuck on hold with FSA for hours. Thank you all for creating such a supportive and knowledgeable community. I'll be documenting everything carefully and will definitely update everyone on how my Professional Judgment Review goes!