Is There a Crosswalk Or Guide That Gives the SAI Equivalent Of the EFC?

No. The expected family contribution (EFC) and student aid index (SAI) are very different in how they are calculated and used to determine Federal Pell Grant eligibility.

For example, currently under federal methodology for 2023-24, if a student has an EFC of 100, the student will not receive the maximum Pell Grant of $7,395. However, in reviewing the Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedule, the student would receive $7,345, as long as their cost of attendance (COA) was greater than the maximum Pell Grant of $7,395.

For 2024-25, there is no longer a Pell Grant Payment and Disbursement Schedule. Instead, there is a maximum Pell Grant and a minimum Pell Grant, both with different criteria based on adjusted gross income (AGI), family size, and poverty guidelines for the state of legal residence. There are also students who fall in the middle, whose Scheduled Award will be calculated by subtracting their SAI from the annual maximum Pell Grant amount.

While there is no direct EFC-to-SAI chart or table, NASFAA created a Student Aid Index Modeling Tool for schools to run aggregate comparisons using data from their student populations. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has stated they will publish an SAI Estimator Tool in September of 2023.