Will my friend's daughter get need-based aid on top of her 20K merit scholarship with a low SAI?

Congratulations to your friend's daughter! Yes, she should absolutely still qualify for need-based aid despite receiving the merit scholarship. With an SAI of 1500, she'll likely receive the maximum Pell Grant (around $7,395 for 2025-2026) plus access to subsidized federal loans. The school will calculate her need by taking the Cost of Attendance ($65K) minus her SAI ($1,500) minus other aid received (including the $20K merit scholarship). So her demonstrated need would be approximately $43,500. Different schools meet this remaining need differently, but at minimum, she should be offered: - Full Pell Grant (~$7,395) - Subsidized Direct loans (up to $5,500 for freshmen) - Possibly work-study opportunity Depending on the school's resources, they might offer institutional grants to cover some of the remaining gap. Private scholarships are also worth pursuing for that gap.

Based on my experience with my twins who both got merit scholarships at different schools, most colleges calculate need-based aid AFTER subtracting merit scholarships from the cost of attendance. This means your friend's daughter will still have roughly $43,500 in demonstrated need (the $65K COA minus her $20K scholarship minus her $1,500 SAI). What happens with that $43,500 gap depends entirely on the school's financial aid policies. Some schools are "meet-full-need" institutions that will cover 100% of demonstrated need through a combination of grants, loans, and work-study. Others might cover only a portion. Her best bet is to wait for the official aid package next week, then if there's still a significant gap, contact the financial aid office directly to discuss options. They sometimes have additional institutional grants they can offer in special circumstances.

Congrats to the student!! That's awesome news about the scholarship. With an SAI that low she'll definitely get the max Pell and subsidized loans. But don't forget about potential STATE aid too! Depending on what state you're in, there might be additional grants available specifically for low-income students. For example, my daughter qualified for our state grant which was another $4500/year on top of federal aid. Worth looking into!

Call the school financial aid office directly!!! Don't just wait for the letter. When my son got accepted we were in a similar situation and waiting was a HUGE mistake. By the time we figured out that the aid package wasn't enough, a lot of their institutional funds were already given out. If ur in California cal grants are automatic with FAFSA but u need to make sure the cal grant deadline hasn't passed, its usually earlier than regular FAFSA deadline. also look into middle class scholarship if her moms income is in that range.

Just to add my two cents - there's a significant difference between how public and private schools handle the combination of merit and need-based aid. At many private colleges, they practice what's called "displacement" where they essentially reduce need-based aid dollar-for-dollar based on outside scholarships received. BUT most reputable schools will still make sure Pell Grants aren't displaced by merit scholarships. I've worked with several students in similar situations, and I can tell you that with a $1,500 SAI, she should definitely qualify for: - Maximum Pell Grant ($7,395) - Maximum subsidized loans ($5,500 for first year) - Likely some institutional grants at many schools If this is a public school in her home state, the remaining cost might be quite manageable. If it's a private or out-of-state public, there may still be a significant gap. Don't forget to look into external scholarship opportunities as well!

To answer your follow-up question about institutional aid - yes, many schools will still offer significant institutional grants even with a merit scholarship. Schools with large endowments typically have more generous aid policies. If the school is on the US News "schools that meet full demonstrated need" list, she has a much better chance of getting the gap filled. And absolutely, be prepared to appeal! Financial aid appeals are successful more often than people realize, especially in cases with low SAI scores. When you appeal, provide specific numbers about what would make attendance possible and any special circumstances not captured by the FAFSA.

I went through this EXACT situation with my nephew last year! With an SAI that low, your friend's daughter will definitely get the full Pell Grant amount and subsidized loans. But here's what we learned: always ALWAYS compare aid packages between schools. My nephew received his "dream school" acceptance with a $22K merit scholarship, but another school offered him a $15K merit scholarship PLUS an additional $18K in institutional grants. The "dream school" only gave him federal aid on top of merit. The most frustrating part was trying to reach financial aid offices to negotiate. We spent DAYS on hold and getting disconnected. We finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to someone at the dream school, and they actually increased their institutional aid by $7K after we showed them the competing offer. Their video demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ explains how it works. Absolutely worth it when you're trying to make such a huge financial decision.

To clarify for those asking about consistency in aid packages: Federal aid (Pell Grants, subsidized loans) is fairly consistent based on your SAI. But institutional aid (grants from the college itself) varies DRAMATICALLY between schools. Some schools have billion-dollar endowments and can offer generous grants, while others have limited financial aid budgets. With a $1,500 SAI, your friend's daughter will get consistent federal aid anywhere, but the institutional grants could range from nothing to potentially covering the entire remaining gap. This is why comparing financial aid packages and potentially negotiating with the financial aid office is so important.

This is such a heartwarming situation - you're an amazing friend for helping her through this process! With that low SAI, she's in a great position for need-based aid. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is to make sure she's also looking into private scholarships from local organizations, her high school guidance office, and scholarship search engines like Fastweb. Even smaller $500-1000 scholarships can add up and help bridge any remaining gap. Also, once she gets her aid package, don't be afraid to ask the financial aid office about payment plans - many schools offer interest-free monthly payment options that can make even a remaining balance more manageable for families. The fact that she got into her dream school with a merit scholarship already shows she's an exceptional student, so I'm optimistic the aid package will work out!