Financial Aid
Student Aid Index (SAI) and the Pell Grant
How is Pell Grant eligibility determined?
Maximum Pell Grant – Students may qualify for a maximum Pell Grant based on family size, adjusted gross income, poverty guidelines, and tax filing status. 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. The student’s Pell Grant award will be equal to the maximum Pell Grant for the award year minus their SAI.
Minimum Pell Grant – Students whose SAI is greater than the maximum Pell Grant award for the award year may still be eligible for a Pell Grant based on family size, adjusted gross income, and poverty guidelines.
What if I had a low income and was not required to file taxes?
According to the IRS tax year 2022, these are the thresholds by filing status. If parents of a dependent student or an independent student (and spouse, if married) were not required to file a federal income tax return for 2022, the student will automatically receive a Student Aid Index (SAI) equal to –1500.
Why are assets different on the FAFSA 2024–25?
For the 2024–25 award year, some financial information previously considered income will be considered as assets. Also, some information not requested previously, like the family’s small business, will no longer be excluded from asset reporting.
If students get a negative SAI, will they get a higher Pell Grant?
Students with a negative or 0 SAI will be eligible for the maximum Pell Grant. The difference is that the negative –1500 SAI indicates the student has a higher need than the student with 0 SAI, being eligible for other grants, if available.
If the family size is manually adjusted, will the SAI only be calculated based on the size drawn from the taxes?
It will be based on the family size that the family entered, if different from the taxes. Students may have to provide additional information if selected for verification.
Return to 2024-25 FAFSA Simplification page.