Most students that become interested in getting a Pell Grant eventually wonder about the SAR. It is really something that you shouldn’t worry about too much though, and it definitely shouldn’t be something that you are ever unsure of, or confused about.
Regardless, it is never a bad idea to review a particular topic just to make sure that you have all of your ducks in a row, and we will therefore quickly go over what the SAR is exactly, and how it is relevant to becoming eligible for the Pell Grant.
SAR is the Student Aid Report
The SAR, or Student Aid Report, is a report that is generated upon the successful completion of your FAFSA, and within it lies a variety of information in regard to the data that you submitted while completing this application. It contains not only personal information such as your address, tax information, financial information, etc. etc., but it also contains other vital information about your eligibility status for certain kinds of federal aid, as well as your EFC.
Your EFC is the primary indicator of financial need for an assortment of federal aid, and by looking at your SAR you will easily be able to identify your EFC, and compare it with the standardized values that may allow to become eligible for certain kinds of federal aid, including the Pell Grant. The cutoff threshold to become eligible for the Pell Grant is currently set at 5,273.
Getting Your SAR
Your SAR should be sent via email in about two weeks after successful submission of the online FAFSA, and in about 4-6 weeks via conventional mail if the written FAFSA was completed. It is critical that you review the information from within your SAR to check for accuracy, and if you completed the online form, you can easily correct any errors by logging back into fafsa.ed.gov.
Remember that the SAR won’t explicitly reveal the actual Pell Grant amount you will receive for that particular award year, as this needs to be determined by your college’s financial aid department. You will at least know if you are eligible for the Pell Grant by reviewing the SAR, and once you become “Pell Grant eligibile” you should be able to get at least the minimum Pell Grant amount for that particular award year.
