Determining Need for Financial Aid

After the student submits the FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will analyze the information provided on the FAFSA and send out a FAFSA Submission Summary. The FAFSA Submission Summary may request additional information and/or will assign a number called a Student Aid Index. The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number used to determine how much federal aid a student will receive. This number is not a dollar amount of aid eligibility or what your family is expected to provide. The SAI is calculated using information provided on the FAFSA. The calculation uses certain information from tax returns as well as net worth of assets. Dependent students must also help pay their educational costs from their resources, such as savings, prior-year income, benefits and/or employment.

The Financial Aid Office will use the SAI to determine the amount of financial assistance. Review the FAFSA Submission Summary and, if changes are necessary, the student should make corrections electronically using the student’s FSA ID at: https://studentaid.gov. The corrected FAFSA Submission Summary will be used to determine the student’s award for the Federal Pell Grant and other need-based aid.

Academic Catalog

Determining Need for Financial Aid