Student Aid Index eligibility guide for 2025-26

teacher explaining student aid index to students

  The new FAFSA for the 2025-26 school year is scheduled to open on Dec. 1, 2024, (delayed from Oct. 1), and the Department of Education has provided this guide on the formula. The guide both explains the formula for the Student Aid Index (SAI), as well as eligibility for Pell Grants. The SAI number…

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Insider Tips for the week of June 8, 2024

Explaining the SAI – One of the biggest mistakes we see families make in the college process is that they assume the number the FAFSA (or FAFSA projectors) provides them as their “student aid index” is what they will pay for college. Unfortunately that is not the case! Here are 5 important things to know about the student…

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FAFSA mistake will be fixed but data further delayed

woman happy

  The huge mistake on the new, redesigned FAFSA will be fixed, according to the Department of Education, but colleges won’t receive any student FAFSA information until sometime in March. The new FAFSA that launched at the end of 2023 has a calculation error that would have resulted in most families qualifying for less financial…

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New FAFSA live

liftoff

  The updated FAFSA form for students attending college in Fall 2024 is now live, although this is during a “soft launch” period where the website may intermittently be down for updates. If families submit the form during this time, their information will be saved and provided to colleges in late January. If the new…

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Student Aid Index (SAI) – 5 things to know

money puzzle

  You fill out the FAFSA, which gives you your Student Aid Index (SAI), which is how much your family will pay for college. Seems simple right? Ah, but like most things with the college process, that is unfortunately not the case. Here are 5 things every family should know about that SAI.   1…

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FAFSA error means less financial aid for families

frustrated male student

  The new, redesigned FAFSA that will launch by the end of 2023 has a calculation error that will result in most families qualifying for less financial aid than lawmakers intended. The legislation that drove the FAFSA overhaul called for an increase to the amount of income that was shielded from the FAFSA calculation, otherwise…

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FAFSA delayed

man waiting

The FAFSA form for students entering or attending college in Fall 2024 would normally open on Oct. 1, but has been delayed until sometime in December due to the significant new changes being implemented. The Department of Education needs more time to update the application and the various calculations related to the updates. This also…

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FAFSA change for small business owners

small business owner

  Add small business owners to the group of people impacted by the upcoming FAFSA changes for the 2023-24 school year. Currently, the value of any privately held business, including assets, with less than 100 employees does not need to be reported on the FAFSA as part of its small business exclusion. This includes a…

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