Why would two schools offer different Pell Grant amounts after SAI appeal with identical circumstances?

Each college has its own professional judgment policies for SAI appeals. Even though Pell Grants are federal, schools have different approaches to how they adjust your SAI after an appeal, which affects Pell eligibility.\n\nCollege A likely adjusted your SAI low enough to increase Pell Grant eligibility, while College B may have made a smaller adjustment that didn't cross a Pell threshold, or they processed the change differently in their system.\n\nI'd recommend calling College B's financial aid office directly to ask specifically why the appeal didn't result in additional Pell Grant funds. Ask them what your new post-appeal SAI is compared to your original SAI.

Thanks for explaining! I didn't realize schools could interpret the same financial information differently. I've been trying to call College B for three days but can't get through to anyone who can answer specifics about the SAI calculation. It's beyond frustrating - just constant transfers and voicemails.

I was in a similar situation last year with my twins applying to different schools. Call College B immediately! I spent WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone who could explain why my daughter's appeal resulted in more grants while my son's only gave him loans.\n\nI finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real human at the financial aid office. It helped me skip the phone queue and get connected to an actual financial aid officer. You can see how it works in their video: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nWhen I finally got through, they discovered they had calculated our appeal incorrectly! They fixed it and my son got an additional $3800 in Pell Grant money. Don't accept the first answer - sometimes it's just a calculation error.

That's really helpful! I'll check out that service - anything to avoid another day of being transferred around. It's a huge relief to hear someone else had this issue and got it resolved. Did you have to provide any additional documentation beyond what was in your original appeal?

No additional documents needed in my case. Once I actually reached someone who could review the full appeal file, they saw the error. The key was getting to a senior financial aid officer who understood how SAI adjustments should affect Pell eligibility. Good luck!

this is totally normal lol. each school does whatever they want with appeals. my brother and i applied to same 3 schools, my dad lost his business, we both appealed. one school gave us both more grants, one gave me grants but him loans, one told us both to just take loans. its all random and depends on who reviews ur file tbh

That's so frustrating! Did any of the schools explain WHY they made different decisions for you and your brother? We're literally talking about twins with identical financial situations.

The inconsistency you're experiencing is unfortunately typical with the FAFSA system. While Pell Grants are federal, how schools adjust your SAI after an appeal falls under their

Thank you for these specific questions! I'll definitely ask about the original vs. adjusted SAI. I'm starting to think College B barely adjusted our SAI at all based on what everyone is saying.

FAFSA IS A COMPLETE JOKE!!! I went through literally the EXACT same thing with my kids last year. One school gave us $7k more in grants after our appeal, the other basically told us to get lost and take out Parent PLUS loans!!! When I finally got someone on the phone (after 9 CALLS) they admitted they barely looked at our documentation and just rubber-stamped a denial. The whole system is DESIGNED to confuse parents and force us into debt. Don't give up - demand to speak to the financial aid director, not just some random counselor.

9 calls?! That's exactly what I'm afraid of... I feel like my appeal is just sitting in a pile somewhere and they gave us the standard \

Did you submit identical documentation to both schools? Sometimes the difference comes down to how complete your documentation was and how you framed the job loss. Also, did you appeal at the same time? Aid budgets can change throughout the year.\n\nOne more thought - check if both schools use the same methodology. Some schools use FAFSA only, while others also use the CSS Profile, which treats income and assets differently.

Yes, identical documentation and timeline - I actually prepared both appeals together and submitted them within the same week. College A uses just FAFSA, but College B requires both FAFSA and CSS Profile. Could that be why they're handling the appeal differently?

That's almost certainly a factor! CSS Profile schools typically have more complex policies for professional judgment reviews. They might be looking at assets or other income that the FAFSA-only school isn't considering in their calculation. CSS schools often have their own institutional methodology that can differ substantially from the federal methodology.

Omg I'm so confused trying to figure out how colleges are calculating aid this year!!! 😫 My SAI is 3245 and one school gave me $12k in grants and another only $7k with the same SAI!! How does this even make sense?? The new FAFSA is so broken. I don't understand how the same federal form can lead to such different results. Is the whole system just random?

The SAI (Student Aid Index) only determines your federal aid eligibility like Pell Grants. The rest of your financial aid package (institutional grants, scholarships, etc.) is entirely up to each college's own policies and available funding. So while your federal aid eligibility should be similar across schools, the total aid package can vary dramatically depending on each institution's resources and priorities.

Update on your situation? Were you able to get College B to reconsider? I'm curious because I work in a financial aid office (different school), and we're seeing lots of confusion with the new FAFSA implementation. Most schools are trying their best, but some are struggling with how to properly implement appeal adjustments.

Update: Finally got through to College B yesterday! They admitted they didn't adjust our income loss the same way College A did. College A removed my 2023 income entirely since I lost my job in February, while College B only reduced it by 30% (??). They're reviewing it again and said they'll have an answer by next week. The financial aid officer mentioned they're understaffed and rushing through appeals, which explains a lot.

That's exactly what I suspected! The 30% reduction is unfortunately a common shortcut some offices use when they're overwhelmed. I'm glad they're reviewing it again. The proper approach should be similar to what College A did - projecting your actual expected income for the year based on unemployment. Keep us posted on the outcome!

Wow, this is such a helpful thread! I'm a high school counselor and I see families dealing with this exact situation every year. The inconsistency between schools on appeals is one of the most frustrating parts of the financial aid process. Miles, I'm so glad you were able to get through to College B and discover the issue with how they calculated your income adjustment. That 30% reduction vs. complete removal makes a huge difference in SAI calculation and explains the different Pell Grant outcomes perfectly. For other families reading this - don't be afraid to ask specific questions about HOW they calculated your appeal adjustment. Schools should be able to explain their methodology, and if it seems unreasonable compared to your actual circumstances, push back politely but firmly.

This thread has been so educational! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - my daughter and I both lost our jobs due to company layoffs in January, and I'm about to file SAI appeals for my twin sons who are seniors. Reading about the different ways schools can calculate income adjustments (30% reduction vs. complete removal) is incredibly helpful. I had no idea there could be such variation in how schools handle identical circumstances. I'm definitely going to ask each school specifically how they plan to calculate the adjustment and push back if one seems unreasonably conservative compared to our actual financial reality. Thank you Miles for sharing your experience and everyone else for the practical advice - this gives me hope that persistence will pay off!