Will colleges see our income through FAFSA before offering merit aid?

u dont see the SAI before submission, that comes after. but most schools seperate merit from need based anyway, so your income shouldnt affect merit scholarships

The SAI (Student Aid Index) is not visible before you submit the FAFSA. It's calculated after submission and becomes available in your Student Aid Report (SAR), usually within 3-5 days if you provided an email address. Regarding merit aid: most institutions intentionally separate merit-based awards from need-based aid. Merit scholarships are typically based on academic achievements, test scores, extracurricular activities, and other non-financial factors. While colleges will see your financial information from the FAFSA, reputable institutions maintain clear separation between merit and need-based award determinations. However, some colleges practice what's called "preferential packaging," where they might adjust the composition of the total aid package based on how desirable the student is to the institution. This is more about strategic enrollment management than reducing merit specifically.

I was WORRIED ABOUT EXACT SAME THING last year with my son!!! Turns out most schools truly do separate merit from need-based calculations. My son got excellent merit scholarships even though our income was too high for any need-based aid. The FAFSA system is frustrating but I don't think it hurts merit chances. For what it's worth, the most generous schools with merit for us were the ones that required FAFSA submission for ALL types of aid consideration.

i work in college admissions at a private university and can confirm merit scholarships are separate from need-based aid at most institutions. we literally have different committees that review these things. your income shouldn't negatively impact merit awards at all.

To directly answer your questions: 1. No, you cannot preview your SAI before submitting the FAFSA. The calculation happens after submission. 2. Most colleges have separate processes for merit vs. need-based aid, but there are exceptions: - Some private colleges practice "need-aware" admissions, where your ability to pay might influence admission decisions - A few institutions might adjust merit packages based on financial need (either up or down) - Some colleges have limited merit budgets and may prioritize students with financial need If you're concerned, look into each school's financial aid philosophy on their website. Terms like "need-blind" and statements about how they award merit can give you clues about their approach. One tip: If you're concerned about FAFSA submission affecting merit, contact the financial aid offices directly at your daughter's top choice schools. Ask specifically if submitting the FAFSA could negatively impact merit consideration. Get that answer directly from the source.

Trying to reach Federal Student Aid to ask about this exact issue was a NIGHTMARE for me last year - 2+ hour waits and disconnections. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that held my place in line and got me through to a real person. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. The agent I spoke with confirmed that the SAI doesn't show before submission and explained how schools typically handle merit aid separately. Saved me hours of frustration!

Our family was in your exact position last year. We were worried about the same thing with our high income. Here's what we learned after going through the process with our son: - You won't see the SAI before submitting, but you can use online calculators to estimate it - Most schools truly do separate merit from need-based aid in their decisions - Some schools actually gave MORE merit aid when they saw we wouldn't qualify for need-based aid - For schools that required FAFSA for all scholarship consideration, we didn't notice any penalty One thing to be aware of: the formula changed a bit this year with the FAFSA Simplification Act, so the SAI calculation might be slightly different than previous years' EFC formula.

just went thru this with my kid. lots of schools say they "require" FAFSA for merit but some will make exceptions if u explain ur situation. email financial aid offices directly, we got 3 schools to consider my son for merit without FAFSA

As a follow-up to all the helpful advice here: For your planning purposes, you might want to know that after submission, the SAI will appear on your Student Aid Report (SAR). You'll receive an email notification when your SAR is ready to view, typically within 3-5 days of submission if you provided an email and signed with an FSA ID. The SAI is now displayed prominently at the top of the SAR, making it easy to locate. This is different from previous years when the EFC was sometimes buried in the report. Remember that the FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year won't open until December 1, 2024, so you have some time to research each school's approach to merit aid before making your final decisions on FAFSA submission.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter last year, I can totally relate to your concerns! I was equally worried about the income visibility issue. Here's what I learned: The good news is that most reputable colleges truly do keep merit and need-based aid separate. My daughter received excellent merit scholarships at several schools despite our high income disqualifying us from need-based aid. One thing that helped ease my anxiety was creating a spreadsheet tracking each school's financial aid policies. I looked up whether they were "need-blind" vs "need-aware" for admissions, and how they described their merit scholarship process on their websites. This research helped me feel more confident about the FAFSA submission. Also, don't overlook the fact that even if you won't qualify for grants, submitting FAFSA makes you eligible for unsubsidized federal student loans, which can be helpful for cash flow even for higher-income families. The waiting period between FAFSA submission and seeing your SAI is nerve-wracking, but remember that by the time colleges are making merit decisions, they're focused on wanting to attract your high-achieving daughter to their campus!

I'm new to this community and going through the exact same situation! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. As a parent of a high school senior, I was also worried about whether submitting FAFSA would hurt our chances for merit aid due to our income level. It's reassuring to hear from so many experienced parents and even someone who works in college admissions that merit and need-based aid are typically handled separately. The tip about contacting financial aid offices directly is something I definitely plan to do. One question for those who've been through this - did you find that private colleges were generally more transparent about their merit aid policies when you contacted them directly, or did you get mostly generic responses? I'm trying to figure out the best way to approach these conversations. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences here - this thread is a goldmine of information for anxious parents like us!

Welcome to both of you newcomers! This is such a great thread - I wish I had found a resource like this when I was starting the college process with my first child. To answer your question about private college transparency, I found that most were quite helpful when I asked direct, specific questions. The key is being very clear about what you're asking. Instead of "Can you tell me about your merit aid policies?" try something like "If a family submits FAFSA but doesn't qualify for need-based aid, does that information influence merit scholarship decisions in any way?" I also found it helpful to ask about their merit scholarship timeline - when decisions are made, what committees review them, etc. Most admissions counselors were happy to explain their process, which helped me understand that merit really is separate from need-based aid at most places. One tip: if you email, you might get a quicker response than calling. Many financial aid offices are swamped with calls but can respond to emails more efficiently. Good luck to all the parents going through this - it's stressful but you'll get through it!