Zero FAFSA aid despite modest income - just married & confused about SAI calculation
So frustrated with this whole FAFSA process! My wife just finished her application for the 2025-2026 year and got her SAI score which basically means we qualify for NOTHING. We're honestly shocked. We got married in August 2023 and neither of us makes great money (I'm in retail management ~$52K and she's finishing her teaching degree making about $28K part-time). We own a small condo with a reasonable mortgage, nothing fancy. No kids yet, no crazy assets or inheritances. I thought people in our situation were exactly who FAFSA was supposed to help? Did being newly married somehow screw us over? Anyone know what factors might have caused this or if there's a way to appeal? This feels like a huge blow to our plans.
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Joshua Hellan
Did you check your actual SAI number or just assume you wouldn't get aid? Because even with "zero assistance" showing initially, you might still qualify for unsubsidized loans which don't show up as "aid" but still help. Also, marriage definitely changes the calculation since both incomes count now.
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Olivia Kay
•We got an SAI of like 18,500 which the financial aid office basically said means no grants at all, just loans with interest. I was hoping for at least some subsidized loans. I guess I didn't realize marriage would impact it this much. It's just frustrating because we're both still paying off our own undergrad loans too.
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Jibriel Kohn
same thing happened to my sister last yr. got married and suddenly no more pell grants. the system is rigged against married people IMO
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Olivia Kay
•That's exactly what I'm worried about! Did she ever find any workarounds or was she just stuck with the higher SAI?
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Edison Estevez
There are several factors that might have caused this outcome: 1. Marriage combines both of your incomes, which at ~$80K combined puts you outside the range for most need-based aid like Pell Grants 2. Your SAI calculation includes all assets including equity in your condo 3. The new FAFSA formula (2024 and beyond) has different income protection allowances that might be impacting your situation 4. As a married student, your wife is automatically considered independent regardless of age You do have some options though: - Check if her specific program has any teaching grants or forgiveness programs (TEACH Grant, etc.) - Look into income-driven repayment plans for after graduation - Appeal directly to the financial aid office with documentation of any special circumstances (high medical costs, job loss, etc.
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Olivia Kay
•Thanks for breaking that down. I didn't realize our combined income would push us that far out of range. The financial aid office wasn't very helpful explaining all this. We'll definitely look into teaching-specific grants.
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Emily Nguyen-Smith
FAFSA IS A JOKE!!! My daughter had the same thing happen. They pretend to help middle class but the minute you make over poverty wages they give you NOTHING but debt!!!! The income limits are ridiculous and haven't kept pace with inflation AT ALL.
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Edison Estevez
•While I understand your frustration, there are still options available. The issue isn't necessarily that FAFSA is broken - it's that need-based aid has specific income thresholds. At around $80K combined household income, the system is designed to offer loans rather than grants. This is why profession-specific aid (like teaching grants) or school-specific scholarships become more important in these situations.
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James Johnson
Have you tried actually calling Federal Student Aid directly? Their calculation explanations on the website are often confusing, but sometimes talking to an actual person can help you understand what specific factors in your application led to the high SAI. I was having a similar issue trying to figure out why my daughter's aid package was so much lower than expected. After wasting hours on hold and getting disconnected multiple times, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that holds your place in the phone queue and calls you back when an agent is ready. Saved me so much time and frustration. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The FSA agent was actually really helpful and identified that we had entered my retirement savings incorrectly which was inflating our assets. We were able to submit a correction and got a much better aid package.
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Olivia Kay
•I didn't even think about calling them directly, was just going through the school's financial aid office. Might be worth a shot to understand exactly what's happening with our calculation. I'll check out that service too - the few times I've tried calling government offices I've spent forever on hold.
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Sophia Rodriguez
did u guys have any retirement accounts or investments? those count now with the new FAFSA i think. also check if ur wife qualifies for any teacher shortage forgivness programs those are separate from FAFSA
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Olivia Kay
•I have a 401k from work with about $22k in it, and a small brokerage account with maybe $8k for emergencies. Didn't realize those would hit us that hard in the calculation. Good call on the teacher forgiveness programs though!
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Mia Green
This happened to me too (in my case I was the student). What you might want to do is have your wife talk directly to her school's financial aid office about a "professional judgment" review. This is basically an appeal where they can adjust the FAFSA calculation based on special circumstances. Being newly married with student loan payments might qualify. The important thing is to be very specific about your circumstances and provide documentation of all your expenses, especially if you're paying off existing student loans. Some schools have discretion to adjust the SAI for situations not captured by the standard formula. Also, don't overlook school-specific scholarships! Many programs have departmental scholarships for education majors that aren't based on FAFSA results at all.
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Olivia Kay
•I didn't know about the professional judgment review - that sounds promising. We're paying about $700/month combined on our existing student loans, which is a big chunk of our budget. We'll definitely ask about that and look into program-specific scholarships. Thanks for the advice!
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Jibriel Kohn
wait did u include the condo as an asset?? i think theres a way to exclude your primary home from FAFSA calculations!
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Edison Estevez
•Actually, that's a common misconception. The primary home IS excluded from FAFSA calculations. The OP's issue is likely related to their combined income and possibly retirement/investment accounts, not their primary residence. This is one of those areas where speaking directly with a FSA representative can help clarify what specific factors influenced their SAI.
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Olivia Kay
UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the advice! We had a productive meeting with the financial aid office today. Turns out there were a few issues: 1. We incorrectly reported my 401k as an investment rather than a retirement account 2. We didn't document that we're both still paying off our own student loans 3. My wife qualifies for a teaching grant program for her specific field (special education) We're submitting a professional judgment review with the correct information and documentation of our current student loan payments. The aid counselor thinks this should significantly lower our SAI. Plus the teaching grant doesn't depend on FAFSA numbers anyway. Really appreciate all the help from everyone here. The system is definitely complicated when you're in that middle-income zone!
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