SAI
Student Aid Index. The current FAFSA-calculated number used to determine federal and most institutional financial aid eligibility.
The Student Aid Index (SAI) is the dollar figure produced by the FAFSA that colleges use to determine federal aid eligibility and, in most cases, institutional need-based aid. SAI replaced the prior Expected Family Contribution (EFC) starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA.
SAI can be as low as -1,500 (signaling exceptional need) and rises with family income and assets. A school's net cost is roughly the cost of attendance minus the financial aid awarded, where need-based aid is targeted at the gap between cost of attendance and SAI.
The SAI methodology changed several formulas from the older EFC system. The most significant changes for families: the discount for having multiple children in college simultaneously was removed, and small-business assets are now counted differently. Run each school's Net Price Calculator to see how the change affects your specific family.
Related terms
View all terms- EFCExpected Family Contribution. The legacy term for what families were expected to pay annually toward college, now replaced by SAI.
- FAFSAThe Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The main form for federal grants, loans, and most state and institutional aid in the U.S.
- Pell GrantA federal need-based grant for undergraduate students that does not need to be repaid. Maximum award rises annually with inflation.
- CSS ProfileA supplementary aid form used by ~250 selective colleges to award their own institutional aid. Goes beyond FAFSA in detail.
- Net PriceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships, as opposed to the published sticker price. The number that should drive budgeting decisions.