What Is the Student Aid Index (SAI), and How Does It Work on the FAFSA?

Paying for college doesn’t start with a scholarship or a loan—it starts with understanding how financial aid decisions are made. One crucial piece is your Student Aid Index (SAI), a number calculated from your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to calculate your aid.

A lower SAI number may indicate that you are eligible for more need-based financial aid. Below, we’ll walk through what the SAI is, how it’s determined, and what it means for your financial aid package, so you can be better prepared as you plan for college costs.

Table of Contents

1. What does the student aid index (SAI) mean on the FAFSA? 
2. How is the SAI calculated?
3. How is the SAI used?

What does the student aid index (SAI) mean on the FAFSA? 

The SAI is a number used by colleges to assess a student’s financial need. It replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) starting with the 2024 – 2025 academic year. The SAI helps schools determine eligibility for federal student aid.

The SAI can range from a negative 1500 to a positive 999999. Negative numbers indicate the highest financial need and greater eligibility for aid. An SAI of zero or above suggests less financial need, potentially limiting financial aid options.

It is calculated based on information provided in the FAFSA, including income, assets, and family size. It is not the amount a family is expected to pay, but a tool to assess aid eligibility. Schools use this index to allocate financial resources appropriately.

You can find your SAI in the FAFSA Submission Summary once your application is processed. This summary provides an overview of aid eligibility and is accessible through the StudentAid dashboard. It is essential to review this information for accuracy.

How is the student aid index calculated?

The SAI is based on the information you provide in the FAFSA, including income, assets, and the number of people in your household. Your dependency status—whether you’re considered dependent or independent—also plays a key role.

The three main SAI calculations are:

1. Dependent students: This includes financial information for both the student and parent, as well as the parent’s family size.
2. Independent students without dependents: Based on the student’s income, assets, and family size.
3. Independent students with dependents: Also based on the student’s income, assets, and family size, with considerations for any dependents.

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Note:

A spouse is not considered a dependent when determining whether a student has dependents for SAI purposes. Only children or individuals who receive more than half of their financial support from the student are included in the household size.

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To see how this plays out, we used the Federal Student Aid Estimator to create the following examples for an unmarried, first-year undergraduate student:

	Dep. student (A)	Ind. student w/ no dependents (B)	Ind. w/ dependents (C)
Age	18	28	28
Income	$100K (parent)	$100K	$100K
Assets	$10K (parent)	$10K	$10K
Family size	4	1	4
Estimated SAI	9121	29655	-1500

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Remember:

The lower your SAI, the greater the amount of financial aid you might receive.

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In the examples above, you can see how the same income and assets yielded quite different SAIs, depending on the family situation. The student supporting dependents had the lowest possible SAI, while the independent student with no dependents had the highest SAI of the three.

If you’re curious about what your SAI might be before filing the FAFSA, the Federal Student Aid Estimator is the easiest way to find out. It provides a quick estimate based on the same details colleges use to assess your financial aid eligibility.

How is the student aid index used?

Once you submit the FAFSA, the Department of Education calculates your SAI. This number is then sent to each college you listed on your application. Colleges use your SAI to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid.​

To assess the amount of need-based financial aid you might receive, colleges subtract your SAI from their cost of attendance (COA), which includes tuition, fees, room and board, and other expenses. The formula is:

Cost of Attendance (COA) – Student Aid Index (SAI) = Financial Need

Let’s assume the COA is $25,000. Here’s what the financial need would be for the three examples above:

Scenario	COA	SAI	Financial need
A	$25,000	9121	$15,879
B	$25,000	29655	-$4,655 (no need)
C	$25,000	-1500	$26.500

It’s important to note that not all colleges can meet 100% of your financial need. Some may offer aid packages that cover only a portion, leaving you to fund the rest. The financial need number simply represents the maximum amount of need-based aid a student could receive.

Also, if your SAI is higher than a college’s COA, as in Scenario B, you may not receive any need-based aid at that school.

You still have options even if you don’t qualify for much federal aid, or any at all. You might qualify for non-need-based aid, such as Unsubsidized Loans or merit scholarships.

And if your parents’ income seems too high for financial aid, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of luck. It’s always worth checking with a college’s financial aid office and exploring other ways to make college more affordable.

If you’ve maxed out federal aid or don’t qualify based on your SAI, private student loans can help fill the gap. Credible is a loan marketplace that lets you compare personalized rates from multiple lenders in minutes, without affecting your credit score. You can quickly see which options best fit your needs, whether you’re looking for low rates, flexible repayment terms, or a cosigner-friendly lender.