Will my daughter qualify for Pell Grant with 10484 SAI score on FAFSA?

That SAI (Student Aid Index) is right on the borderline for Pell Grant eligibility. For the 2025-2026 aid year, generally students with an SAI below 7500 get the maximum Pell, and those up to around 9600-10800 get partial Pell Grants. Your daughter might qualify for a small Pell Grant, but it depends on the school's cost of attendance and other factors too. Has she received her financial aid package from any schools yet?

My son had an SAI of 11000 last year and he got like $900 in Pell for the whole year. Your daughter will probably get something similar, maybe $700-$1000 I'm guessing. The financial aid office will explain everything when they send her award letter.

With an SAI of 10484, your daughter is likely to receive a partial Pell Grant. For the 2025-2026 award year, the maximum Pell Grant is $7,395, but with that SAI, she might receive around $1,000-$1,500 depending on exact calculations. Besides Pell Grants, she'll probably qualify for: - Federal Direct Student Loans (at least $5,500 for freshmen) - Possibly Work-Study opportunities - State grants depending on your location - Institution-specific scholarships The financial aid package will vary significantly between schools. Private colleges often offer more institutional aid to offset their higher costs.

Am I the only one who thinks it's RIDICULOUS how the government expects families to contribute over $10,000 a year?!?! That's almost $1000 a month!! Who has that kind of money lying around??? The whole SAI system is BROKEN. They take one snapshot of your finances without understanding your actual situation. My son's SAI was similar and we got practically nothing despite having other bills and a second child in college. The system is DESIGNED to push students into taking loans!!

I've been calling the Federal Student Aid office every day trying to get clarification on my daughter's SAI calculation, and after hours of waiting I finally got through using Claimyr. It lets you skip the phone wait by having them call you when an agent is ready. Saved me literally hours of holding. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ and their website is claimyr.com. The agent helped me understand exactly how the SAI was calculated and what additional documentation I could provide to potentially get it adjusted. Definitely worth it to get a human on the phone who can actually explain everything properly.

heyy my SAI was 9800 and i got about $1700 in pell grant plus some work study so urs will prob be similar or a little less. dont forget to check if ur state has grants too, some states give u money based on ur pell eligibility. my school also gave me a $3000 grant that i didnt have to apply for separate they just added it in. your daughters schools might do the same thing 🙂

For Illinois residents, your daughter should be automatically considered for the MAP (Monetary Award Program) Grant when she filed her FAFSA. It can provide up to $7,200 per year depending on financial need and which Illinois school she attends. With your SAI, she would likely qualify for at least partial MAP funding. The awards are given on a first-come, first-served basis, so it matters when you submitted your FAFSA. Also, don't forget that the final financial aid package will vary significantly between schools. A private college with a high sticker price might actually end up being more affordable than a public university if they offer generous institutional aid.

dont stress too much about the SAI number itself, wait till you see the actual aid packages. My daughter's SAI was 14000 which was depressing but she still got decent aid at most of her schools. One school gave her a $20k merit scholarship which made it cheaper than our in-state public university!

One important thing to understand is that the Pell Grant eligibility uses a sliding scale. With an SAI of 10484: 1. Maximum Pell Grant (2025-2026): $7,395 - typically for SAI of 0 2. Partial Pell Grant: Gradually reduces as SAI increases 3. Minimum Pell Grant: Around $750-$1000 for SAI near the cutoff 4. Cutoff: Generally around 9600-11000 depending on the year Since your daughter's SAI is in that upper range, she'll likely receive a smaller Pell Grant, but should still qualify. Remember, Pell Grants are just one component of the full financial aid package. Also, don't forget that her aid eligibility can change next year if your financial situation changes, so you'll want to submit the FAFSA every year.

my sister had almost the same SAI last year an she got like $1200 in pell. her school also gave her some grant money that covered almost half of tuition so def wait for the full packages before worrying too much

As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding this thread incredibly helpful! My daughter is in a similar situation with her SAI, and I had no idea there were so many different types of aid beyond just the Pell Grant. Reading about the MAP grant for Illinois residents and how different schools might offer varying amounts of institutional aid is really eye-opening. It sounds like the key takeaway is to wait for all the financial aid packages before making any decisions, since the final cost can vary so much between schools. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's making this whole process feel less overwhelming!