Update on Aug 25, 2025: We have updated this guide to include revised instructions for calculating the SAI. We added the foreign income exclusion amount to the adjusted gross income in Steps 1 and 3 and modified the Federal Pell Grant Flag logic to account for new eligibility criteria that states the SAI must be less than twice the maximum Pell Grant award amount. For more information about these changes, refer to the Aug. 15, 2025 Electronic Announcement.
The 2026-27 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide is attached.
The Department of Education strives to make all content accessible to everyone. While this document does not currently meet the standards of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Federal Student Aid is working to create an accessible version. If you need access to this document before the accessible version is available, please contact the Information Technology Accessibility Program Help Desk at ITAPSupport@ed.gov to help facilitate.