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.

This is such a relief to hear! I'm a newcomer here but going through the exact same nightmare with my SAI being way higher than expected. Your experience gives me hope that actually showing up in person makes a difference. I've been trying to get through to my financial aid office for weeks with no luck over email. Question for you - when you went in person, did you need to make an appointment first or did you just walk in? My school's website isn't super clear about their process. Also, did they give you any sense of how long the special circumstances review might take? I'm worried about missing deadlines for other aid while waiting for this to get sorted out. Thanks for sharing your update - it's honestly the first positive news I've heard about this whole SAI mess!

Welcome to the community! I'm a newcomer here too and reading through this thread has been incredibly helpful. I'm dealing with a similar situation where my SAI jumped from around $4,800 last year to over $9,000 this year, even though our family income actually went down slightly. Like many others here, I had no idea about the multiple student discount being eliminated - my sister is also in college and that probably explains a huge part of the increase. I've been putting off contacting my financial aid office because I assumed they'd just tell me there's nothing they can do, but seeing Freya's success with the in-person visit is really encouraging. I'm going to follow everyone's advice and schedule a meeting this week. For those still waiting on appeals - has anyone had success getting retroactive adjustments if the appeal gets approved after the semester has already started? I'm worried about having to pay the higher amount upfront while waiting for the review process to complete. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences and advice in this thread. It's reassuring to know we're not alone in dealing with this confusing new system!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm dealing with the exact same SAI nightmare - mine jumped from around $5,200 to $8,900 despite our family income staying basically the same. I had no clue about the multiple student discount being eliminated (my younger brother just started his freshman year), and now I understand why our number is so much higher. Reading about everyone's experiences, especially Freya's success with the in-person visit, has given me the motivation to actually do something about this instead of just accepting it. I've been dreading having to navigate the financial aid office bureaucracy, but it sounds like they really can help if you approach it the right way. I'm planning to gather all my documentation this weekend and schedule an appointment next week. For anyone else who's been hesitating like I was - this thread is proof that we're definitely not alone in this mess, and there are actual solutions available. The new SAI system has clearly created problems for a lot of families, but at least the schools seem to recognize that and are willing to work with students through the appeals process. Thanks to everyone who's shared their stories and advice. This community is a lifesaver!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I'm dealing with an almost identical situation - my SAI shot up from around $4,800 to over $9,200 this year even though our family's financial situation actually got worse (my mom had to take a lower-paying job after her company downsized). Reading through everyone's experiences has been both eye-opening and reassuring. I had no idea about all the changes to the formula, especially the elimination of the multiple student discount. My older sister is a senior this year, so that change alone probably accounts for a huge chunk of my increase. What really strikes me is how many families are going through this exact same thing, yet there seems to be so little clear communication from the Department of Education about these impacts. It feels like they focused on calling it "simpler" without acknowledging that it would actually make college less affordable for many middle-class families. I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice about scheduling an in-person appointment with my financial aid office this week. The success stories here, especially Freya's detailed update, give me hope that there might actually be solutions available through the special circumstances process. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive space to navigate this confusing new system. It makes such a difference to know we're not alone in this!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly relieved to have found this thread! I'm facing the exact same frustrating situation - my SAI jumped from around $3,900 last year to $7,600 this year, despite our family income actually dropping when my dad's hours got cut at work. I was completely baffled and starting to panic about how I'd afford to continue my education. Reading through everyone's experiences has been such an eye-opener. I had absolutely no clue about the multiple student discount being eliminated - my younger brother just started college this fall, so that change alone probably explains a huge portion of my increase. It's honestly infuriating that they marketed this as a "simplified" system without being upfront about how it would negatively impact so many families who were already struggling financially. Seeing Freya's success story and all the detailed advice about in-person visits has given me the courage to actually fight this instead of just accepting it. I've been putting off contacting my financial aid office because I assumed they'd just give me the runaround, but clearly that was the wrong approach. I'm going to gather all my documentation this weekend (including proof of my dad's reduced hours) and schedule an appointment first thing Monday morning. Thank you all for sharing your stories and creating such a supportive space - knowing that I'm not alone in this mess makes all the difference!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I'm dealing with an almost identical situation - my SAI increased from about $5,100 to $8,400 this year even though our family income stayed roughly the same. Like many others here, I had no idea about the multiple student discount being eliminated (my twin sister and I are both sophomores), which probably explains most of the increase. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially Freya's successful in-person visit, has been incredibly encouraging. I've been avoiding contacting my financial aid office because I assumed they'd just tell me there's nothing they can do, but clearly that's not the case. The detailed advice about bringing documentation and being persistent but polite is exactly what I needed to hear. I'm planning to schedule an appointment this week and come prepared with all the tips from this thread. It's such a relief to know that so many schools are recognizing how these formula changes have unfairly impacted families and are willing to work through the special circumstances process. Thank you all for sharing your stories and creating such a supportive space to navigate this confusing transition!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm going through the exact same nightmare - my SAI jumped from around $4,200 last year to nearly $8,800 this year, even though our family income actually decreased slightly when my mom had to switch to part-time work due to health issues. Like so many others here, I had absolutely no idea about the multiple student discount being eliminated. My older brother is a senior this year, so that change alone probably accounts for a massive portion of my increase. It's incredibly frustrating that they called this a "simplified" system without being transparent about how it would make college less affordable for families already juggling multiple tuitions. Reading everyone's experiences, especially all the success stories with in-person visits, has given me the motivation I needed to actually take action instead of just panicking about the numbers. I've been dreading having to deal with the financial aid office, but clearly that's exactly what I need to do. I'm going to follow all the advice here - gather my documentation about my mom's reduced hours, schedule an in-person appointment, and come prepared with a clear explanation of our changed circumstances. Thank you all for sharing your stories and proving that we don't have to just accept these inflated SAI numbers! This community support means everything when dealing with such a stressful situation.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to have found this thread! I'm dealing with the exact same frustrating situation - my SAI shot up from around $4,600 last year to over $8,100 this year, despite our family income actually staying about the same. Like so many others here, I had no clue about the multiple student discount being eliminated, and my younger sister just started her freshman year this fall, so that probably explains a huge chunk of the increase. Reading through all these experiences, especially Freya's success with the in-person visit, has been incredibly encouraging. I've been putting off contacting my financial aid office because I assumed they'd just give me the standard "nothing we can do" response, but clearly I was wrong about that approach. The lack of transparency around these SAI changes is honestly infuriating - they marketed it as "simplified" but never mentioned it would actually increase costs for so many middle-class families who were already struggling with college expenses. It feels like we're all having to figure this out the hard way. I'm going to take everyone's advice and schedule an in-person appointment this week. I'll come prepared with all my documentation and a clear explanation of our circumstances. Thank you all for sharing your stories and creating such a supportive space to navigate this mess - knowing I'm not alone in dealing with this makes such a difference!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so thankful I found this thread! I'm going through the exact same SAI nightmare - mine jumped from about $3,800 last year to $7,200 this year, even though our family income actually decreased when my dad's business had to cut back during the slow season. Like everyone else here, I had absolutely no idea about the multiple student discount being eliminated, and my twin brother and I are both juniors, so that change is hitting our family especially hard. Reading through all these experiences, particularly Freya's successful in-person visit and all the detailed advice from the financial aid professionals in this thread, has been incredibly helpful and encouraging. I've been avoiding dealing with this because I assumed there was nothing I could do, but clearly I need to be more proactive about advocating for myself. The lack of clear communication about these SAI formula changes is so frustrating - they kept talking about "simplification" but never mentioned how it would actually increase costs for families already struggling with multiple college tuitions. It's honestly a relief to know I'm not the only one dealing with this confusion. I'm going to follow everyone's advice and schedule an in-person appointment with my financial aid office this week. I'll bring documentation of my dad's reduced business income and come prepared with all the tips from this thread. Thank you all for sharing your stories and proving that persistence can actually lead to results - this community support means everything when navigating such a stressful situation!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have found this thread! I'm dealing with an almost identical situation - my SAI jumped from around $4,200 to $8,900 this year despite our family income actually decreasing when my mom had to take a significant pay cut at her job. Like so many others here, I had absolutely no idea about the multiple student discount being eliminated, and with my older sister currently a senior, that change alone probably explains a huge portion of my increase. Reading through everyone's experiences, especially all the success stories with in-person visits and the detailed advice from financial aid professionals, has been incredibly encouraging and informative. I've been paralyzed by this whole situation, assuming there was nothing I could do about these inflated numbers, but clearly I need to take action and advocate for myself. The lack of transparency around these SAI formula changes is honestly maddening - they focused so much on calling it "simplified" while completely failing to communicate how it would actually make college less affordable for middle-class families already struggling with rising costs. It's such a relief to know I'm not alone in feeling blindsided by this. I'm going to follow everyone's advice and schedule an in-person appointment with my financial aid office this week. I'll bring documentation of my mom's pay reduction and come prepared with all the tips shared in this thread. Thank you all for creating such a supportive space and proving that persistence and proper advocacy can actually lead to positive results!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so relieved to have found this thread! I'm facing the exact same frustrating situation - my SAI skyrocketed from about $3,600 last year to nearly $8,500 this year, even though our family income actually decreased when my mom lost her part-time job due to company layoffs. Like everyone else here, I had absolutely no clue about the multiple student discount being eliminated, and my younger brother just started college this fall, so that change is absolutely crushing our family financially. Reading through all these experiences, especially Freya's amazing success story with the in-person visit and all the incredibly detailed advice from the financial aid professionals who've commented here, has given me so much hope and practical guidance. I've been completely overwhelmed and honestly terrified about how we'd manage these unexpected costs, but seeing that there are actual solutions and that schools are willing to work with students has been life-changing. The complete lack of clear communication about these SAI formula changes is beyond frustrating - they spent so much time promoting this as a "simplified" system while completely failing to warn families about how it would actually increase costs for so many middle-class households already struggling with college expenses. Finding this community has been the first ray of hope I've had in weeks! I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice and schedule an in-person appointment with my financial aid office first thing Monday morning. I'll bring all documentation of my mom's job loss and come fully prepared with every tip shared in this thread. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories and creating such an incredibly supportive space - knowing I'm not alone in this nightmare makes all the difference in the world!