Financial Need Calculation

Cost of Attendance: Includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation and other personal expenses.

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an eligibility index number that HCC's financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid you would receive if you attended. This number results from the information that you provide on your FAFSA form. This number is not a dollar amount of aid eligibility or what your family is expected to provide. A negative SAI indicates the student has a higher financial need. Learn how the SAI is calculated.

The college or career school will determine your financial need by subtracting your SAI from the cost of attendance.

The FAFSA Simplification Act replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) with the SAI. Learn more about the changes with the 2024–25 FAFSA form.

Your SAI will be listed on your FAFSA Submission Summary. Before completing the FAFSA form, use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to estimate your SAI.

If you want an estimate of your financial aid award, use the Federal Student Aid Estimator.

Colleges must include all funding resources as part of a student’s financial aid package. Resources include federal and state grants, scholarships, waivers, fellowships, assistantships, AmeriCorps, Federal Work Study, loans, and any other educational benefits available to cover educational expenses.

If it is determined that you do not have financial need, you can still apply for an unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan or scholarships  based on merit. In addition, parents can apply for PLUS loans.

The Federal Student Aid website offers an overview of the financial aid process.