This free Student Aid Index (SAI) calculator estimates eligibility for need-based federal financial aid which could include Pell Grants, Work-study and Direct Student Loans. In less than five minutes you will have a downloadable report.

The SAI is used by all two-year and four-year, public and private colleges to award need-based aid. States and others also use the SAI to provide financial aid.

The U.S. Department of Education calculates a student’s “official” eligibility for aid when a student completes the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the FAFSA® form. The FAFSA® for Academic Year 2026-27 is available beginning October 1, 2025.

This calculator:

  • Estimates the key number in the financial aid process: the SAI
  • Directs you to the required tax line items from the 2024 tax returns
  • Allows you to use estimates if you don’t have tax filings handy
  • Shows the effect of parent and student income and assets on aid eligibility
  • Offers information about how colleges use the SAI
  • Answers FAQs
  • Generates a downloadable PDF report
  • Does NOT save the information you provide

Slide

"My College Corner’s tools are awesome. The easy to use tools provide a simple way for our
families to get some important answers to some of the most important financial questions
when it comes to college. Our counselors and families get immediate results, and they can
quickly see how the results change as assumptions change allowing informed decisions to me
made."

From Gregg Cohen, President of Campus Bound - Needham, MA

Slide

"This Student Aid Index calculator makes it easy for families to get an estimate of how much
college might cost based on the U.S. Department of Education’s new formula for financial aid
eligibility. The new method for calculating aid can be really complicated but this tool boils it
down to two screens and a results page with. Really well done."

From Mark Salisbury, CEO of TuitionFit - Davenport, IA

Slide

"The Financial Aid Calculator has helped many families in Mississippi estimate their financial aid
eligibility. This year the SAI calculator is more important than ever because of the delayed
FAFSA form and the new way aid is being calculated. This calculator gives us a chance to work
with families to hopefully take some of the stress out of the financial aid process."

From Brandi Lyndall, Director of GEAR-UP Outreach - Jackson, MS

Slide

"Thank you MyCollegeCorner for making this SAI calculator for families to try to truly understand
what amount of aid they could receive. The College Investor wants to help families make
better financial choices when it comes to paying for college. This calculator helps a lot."

From Robert Farrington, America’s Millennial Money Expert, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The College Investor

Why FAFSA® is Important

All students who want financial aid in Academic Year 2026-27 must complete the FAFSA® by the deadline required by the college. The Student Aid Index is an estimate of eligibility for financial aid, not the amount of money you will have to pay for college. Colleges are not required to offer a student any financial aid, or they may offer more aid than the SAI indicates.

 

What’s required to file the FAFSA®

Students and Contributors need an FSA ID to file the FAFSA® and use information from their 2024 tax returns and current values for assets such as college savings accounts. An FSA ID is unique to each filer and can be used from year to year and for different students for which you are a Contributor. The FAFSA® has an automatic tax return upload feature for students and parents. Asset information should come from current statements.

 

 

Students who are applying, or returning, to college next year (AY 2026-27) need to file the FAFSA® before college’s deadline. Students with the means to pay for college without financial aid may also wish to complete the FAFSA® so they have the option to borrow student loans from the Direct Student Loan Program.

It’s important to understand the SAI and how much a student may be expected to pay for a college. Knowing what a student can expect in the form of financial aid can help them avoid excessive student debt and make better financial choices.

 

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