What is the highest student aid index?

Students qualifying for a maximum Pell Grant will have a Student Aid Index (SAI) between –1500 and 0. Student Aid Index (SAI) - Students who don't qualify for a maximum Pell Grant may still be eligible if their calculated SAI is less than the maximum Pell Grant award for the award year.

What is the highest student aid index number for FAFSA?

Maximum Federal Pell Grant – Applicants may qualify for a maximum Federal Pell Grant award based on family size, household income, and poverty guidelines. Students qualifying for a maximum Federal Pell Grant will have an SAI between –1500 and 0.

What does an SAI of 1500 mean?

A dependent student whose parents are not required to file a federal income tax return OR an independent student (and spouse, if applicable) who is not required to file a federal income tax return for the prior-prior tax year is assigned an SAI equal to -1500.

What does a high Sai mean?

First off, you should know that the SAI has no ceiling but can be as low as -1,500. A lower SAI (and even a negative SAI) means you show a higher financial need, whereas a high SAI means your aid needs are lighter or nonexistent according to the metric.

What is the student aid index?

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that your college's or career school's financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid you would receive if you attended the school. This number results from the information that you provide on your FAFSA^® form.

Student Aid Index: What To Know About The Changes To Financial Aid

What does a student aid index of 20000 mean?

Your financial need will be $20,000 after deducting your EFC from the cost of attendance. Your eligibility for need-based assistance is indicated by this number. Although some schools may have their own scholarship and grant programs, federal need-based grants are also an option. ‍

What is a low student aid index?

The SAI can help students receive more financial aid. While the minimum EFC was zero, the SAI can go as low as negative $1,500, allowing students to show a higher financial need. For example, if your cost of attendance is $30,000 and your SAI is -$1,500, your financial need would be $31,500.

What is a student aid index of 1500?

The new formula removes the number of family members in college from the calculation and allows a minimum SAI of negative $1,500 to give financial aid administrators more insight when making determinations for students with especially challenging situations.

What is the SAI range?

The SAI can be as low as -1500 and has no ceiling. As an index number, the SAI allows Student Financial Aid to differentiate and compare students for aid eligibility.

How is the SAI calculated for FAFSA?

How is the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculated? To calculate a Student Aid Index (SAI), the college or career school conducts a need-based analysis. The analysis takes into account the income and assets of you and your parents or spouse, if applicable.

Is Sai better than EFC?

This year's FAFSA process has introduced the Student Aid Index (SAI) which supersedes the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula. The SAI is similar to the EFC with a few different factors that will now be considered when determining the student's aid. To determine Student Aid Index, try the new SAI Calculator.

What does a 0 Sai mean on FAFSA?

Students with a negative or 0 SAI are eligible for the maximum Federal Pell Grant.

Is $100,000 too much for FAFSA?

Students often skip filling out the FAFSA because they think their families make too much money to qualify for aid. However, there are no FAFSA income limits, so you can submit it—and potentially get valuable financial aid—regardless of your family's earnings.

How do I get maximum FAFSA?

Why is my FAFSA so high?

If your EFC number looks high, it's usually because you're from a higher-income household.

What is a Sai score?

The FAFSA helps colleges determine your eligibility for grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study, and they do so using your Student Aid Index (SAI), a calculated number personal to your family. Your SAI is a key component of the financial aid process.

Is the lower your SAI the more financial aid you are eligible for?

The significance of the SAI/EFC value, of course, is that the lower the amount, the higher the financial need and the greater the eligibility for federal financial aid programs, such as Pell Grants, Federal Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, and Federal Work-Study Programs.

What does the SAI number mean?

SAI stands for Student Aid Index, a metric used to help determine eligibility for federal financial aid during the FAFSA application process. The SAI was introduced as a replacement for the EFC beginning in the 2024-2025 award year to help minimize confusion around the meaning of “Expected Family Contribution.”

How do colleges use Sai?

The SAI is calculated by imputing each family's FAFSA information into a standard formula. Colleges and universities use each student's SAI to determine the student's financial aid eligibility and then create a financial aid offer.

What is a good financial aid GPA?

The Satisfactory Academic Progress regulations require that you maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) in order to remain eligible for financial aid. This cumulative grade point average is 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. If you drop below a cumulative GPA of 2.0, you will be placed on a financial aid Warning.

Why am I not eligible for Pell Grant?

Federal Pell Grants usually are awarded only to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree. (In some cases, however, a student enrolled in a postbaccalaureate teacher certification program might receive a Federal Pell Grant.)

What is minimum GPA for FAFSA?

This often entails keeping your grade point average (GPA) at 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (i.e., at least a C average) and advancing in your degree programme by passing enough classes. On a scale of 4.0, about one in ten college students will have a cumulative GPA below 2.0.

What is the lowest EFC for financial aid?

Your Expected Family Contribution, or EFC, on the FAFSA, is a simple way of saying that you have a certain income threshold based on your parents financial contribution. Zero is the lowest EFC number with 99,999 as the highest.

What is the EFC index for financial aid?

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a measure of your family's financial strength. The U.S. Department of Education calculates your EFC according to a formula established by law. The formula considers your family's taxed and untaxed income, assets, and benefits (such as, unemployment or Social Security).