Why is my SAI so high when our income decreased? FAFSA calculation makes no sense!

The new SAI calculation is different from the old EFC formula in several important ways. The biggest changes affect how assets are counted and how they handle multiple students in college. If you have significant savings or investments, those might be weighted more heavily now. Also, they removed the benefit for having multiple family members in college simultaneously. You should definitely submit a special circumstances appeal through your school's financial aid office. Bring documentation showing the job loss and income reduction. The formula uses prior-prior year tax data, so your current situation isn't automatically reflected.

same thing happened to me!! my sai is wayyy higher than our old efc was even tho nothing changed with our finances. its total bs honestly

I work in a financial aid office, and I can tell you that many students are experiencing this exact issue with the new SAI formula. Here are the main reasons your SAI might be higher than your previous EFC even with lower income: 1. The multiple-student discount was eliminated (this used to divide the EFC if you had siblings in college) 2. Asset protection allowance was significantly reduced 3. State tax allowance calculations changed 4. Small business exclusion thresholds changed For your situation with your mother losing her job, you absolutely should file a special circumstances appeal (sometimes called a Professional Judgment request). Each school handles these differently, but typically they'll want: - Documentation of job loss - Most recent tax returns - Proof of current income/unemployment benefits - Estimated income for the current year Don't wait - contact your financial aid office immediately. The earlier you submit this, the better your chances.

The switch from EFC to SAI has been a nightmare for so many families. I've been helping students navigate this for months now. The big problem is that they kept saying it would be "simpler" but never mentioned it would actually increase costs for many families! One important point: your school's financial aid office has the authority to make adjustments based on your special circumstances. They can't change your official SAI number on the FAFSA, but they can recalculate your aid eligibility using the updated information. You need to be persistent though. Many schools are overwhelmed with these requests right now.

After spending 3 DAYS trying to get through to someone at Federal Student Aid about my SAI calculation, I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got connected to a real person in about 10 minutes. They explained exactly why my SAI changed and helped me start the special circumstances process. Totally worth it - they have a video demo here if you want to see how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

They couldn't change my SAI directly (no one can except through your school's financial aid office), but the agent explained exactly which part of the formula was causing my number to be so high. In my case, it was some retirement accounts that weren't being protected the same way under the new formula. Having that specific information made my appeal to my school's financial aid office much more effective!

I know this is frustrating, but don't panic yet! The SAI is just one factor schools use to determine your total aid package. Many schools have institutional funds they can use to help students in your exact situation. When my family went through something similar (dad's hours got cut), our college actually gave us MORE institutional grant money to make up for the higher SAI calculation. Make an appointment to sit down with a financial aid counselor in person if possible. Phone calls and emails are too easy for them to brush off. Bring all your documentation showing the income change. Be polite but persistent. Also - check if you're eligible for any scholarships you haven't applied for yet. There are many that have deadlines throughout the year.

my sai is like $24k and we make like 90k for 4 ppl... system is rigged lol

has anyone had luck appealing their sai?? i sent in all my docs showing my dads medical bills but haven't heard anything back in 3 weeks

UPDATE: I finally got somewhere! I took everyone's advice and went IN PERSON to the financial aid office yesterday. The counselor actually spent 45 minutes with me going through everything. She said they're seeing tons of situations like mine because of the multiple student discount being removed and the asset protection changes. She's helping me file a special circumstances appeal and said based on my mom's job loss, they'll likely be able to adjust my aid package even if they can't change the official SAI number. Thank you all so much for the help and advice - I was seriously about to give up!

So glad to hear you got somewhere with the in-person visit! That's exactly what I was hoping would happen. The financial aid counselors really do want to help - they just get overwhelmed with emails and phone calls. Your situation with the job loss and having a sibling in college definitely sounds like something they should be able to address through the special circumstances process. One tip for anyone else reading this: when you go in person, bring copies of everything even if you already emailed it to them. Sometimes documents get lost in their system, and having physical copies can speed up the process. Also, ask for a timeline of when you should expect to hear back, and put a reminder in your calendar to follow up if you don't hear anything by then. Keep us posted on how your appeal goes! Your success story might help other students in similar situations.