Financial Need and Student Aid Index (SAI)
Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is the value that’s used to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid. You can think of the SAI as an index that all colleges use to determine how much financial aid a student is eligible for.
The SAI is calculated from the information you report on the FAFSA. The formula by which your SAI is derived considers such things as income, certain assets, family size, and number of children in college, among others. The SAI is a measure of your family’s ability to pay for college over time.
Your financial aid eligibility, or financial need, is determined by subtracting your Student Aid Index (SAI) from the cost of attendance. The amount of your financial need is then used to determine eligibility for need-based grants, loans, and work study.
Cost of Attendance—SAI = Financial Need
Your financial need does not necessarily represent the amount you will receive in financial aid. Puget Sound strives to create a financial aid package that meets your demonstrated need, although funding limitations or other eligibility criteria prevent us from satisfying full need in every case.
In order to remain eligible for need-based financial aid you must continue to demonstrate financial need as determined through completion of the FAFSA each year.
Special Circumstances
The FAFSA is based on federal tax information. Should your or your family’s circumstances change from the information submitted on the FAFSA, or if there are extraordinary circumstances that impact your ability to contribute to your educational expenses, please contact Student Financial Services at sfs@pugetsound.edu to complete a Special Circumstances Form. The request should provide sufficient detail for us to determine how the changed circumstances will affect your financial aid eligibility.
Examples of special circumstances that could warrant review by the Financial Aid Committee include:
- Loss of employment
- Reduction in salary
- Medical/dental expenses paid out of pocket (not reimbursed by insurance or other benefits)
- Tuition expenses for siblings enrolled in private K-12 school
- Parent PLUS Loan payments or other parent educational loan payments
Although we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide you with additional need-based aid, we will be sure to outline any additional options that may be available to you or your parents.
