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Implications of Negative SAI

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Title: Implications of Negative SAI
Language: English
Authors: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
Source: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. 2025.
Availability: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. 1101 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-785-0453; Fax: 202-785-1487; e-mail: membership@NASFAA.org; Web site: http://www.nasfaa.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 14
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Gates Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Student Financial Aid, Financial Aid Applicants, College Applicants, Paying for College, Eligibility, Financial Needs, Low Income Students, Federal Aid, Funding Formulas, Student Costs, Grants
Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: Pell Grant Program
Abstract: The 2024-25 FAFSA Simplification Act brought about significant changes, notably replacing the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). A key aspect of this reform is the introduction of a negative SAI, which allows the lowest possible index to reach -1,500. While the new calculation provides greater differentiation among the nation's lowest-income students, its practical impact on financial aid awarding, institutional decision-making, and federal policy remains underexamined. The Department of Education (ED) has taken the position that negative SAI should be treated the same as 0 for federal student aid awarding purposes, which limits institutions' flexibility to accommodate negative SAI in financial aid packages. Still, schools can choose to use negative SAI to prioritize eligibility for certain aid types, or even to increase institutional aid for these students, so long as they do so within the confines of the cost of attendance (COA). To better understand how institutions are responding to this change, NASFAA conducted a mixed-methods study in 2025, which included a practitioner survey of NASFAA's Rapid Response Network, as well as a series of eight virtual focus groups and interviews with financial aid administrators from across various institutional sectors.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED679990
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. 1101 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-785-0453; Fax: 202-785-1487; e-mail: membership@NASFAA.org; Web site: http://www.nasfaa.org
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  Data: 14
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Financial+Aid%22">Student Financial Aid</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Financial+Aid+Applicants%22">Financial Aid Applicants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Applicants%22">College Applicants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Paying+for+College%22">Paying for College</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eligibility%22">Eligibility</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Financial+Needs%22">Financial Needs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Low+Income+Students%22">Low Income Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Federal+Aid%22">Federal Aid</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Funding+Formulas%22">Funding Formulas</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Costs%22">Student Costs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Grants%22">Grants</searchLink>
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  Label: Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SU" term="%22Pell+Grant+Program%22">Pell Grant Program</searchLink>
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  Data: The 2024-25 FAFSA Simplification Act brought about significant changes, notably replacing the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the Student Aid Index (SAI). A key aspect of this reform is the introduction of a negative SAI, which allows the lowest possible index to reach -1,500. While the new calculation provides greater differentiation among the nation's lowest-income students, its practical impact on financial aid awarding, institutional decision-making, and federal policy remains underexamined. The Department of Education (ED) has taken the position that negative SAI should be treated the same as 0 for federal student aid awarding purposes, which limits institutions' flexibility to accommodate negative SAI in financial aid packages. Still, schools can choose to use negative SAI to prioritize eligibility for certain aid types, or even to increase institutional aid for these students, so long as they do so within the confines of the cost of attendance (COA). To better understand how institutions are responding to this change, NASFAA conducted a mixed-methods study in 2025, which included a practitioner survey of NASFAA's Rapid Response Network, as well as a series of eight virtual focus groups and interviews with financial aid administrators from across various institutional sectors.
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  Data: 2026
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 14
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      – SubjectFull: Student Financial Aid
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Financial Aid Applicants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Applicants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Paying for College
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      – SubjectFull: Eligibility
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      – SubjectFull: Financial Needs
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      – SubjectFull: Low Income Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Federal Aid
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Funding Formulas
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Costs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pell Grant Program
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      – TitleFull: Implications of Negative SAI
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              Y: 2025
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