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SAR: See Student Aid Report.

SAR Information Acknowledgment: A non-correctable one-page Student Aid Report (SAR), containing Part I only of the SAR. Students who file electronic applications or who make electronic corrections to applicant information through a school receive this acknowledgment. The SAR Information Acknowledgement is sent for informational purposes only.

Satisfactory Academic Progress: The progress required of a financial aid recipient in acceptable studies or other activities to fulfill a specified educational objective.

Scholarship: A form of financial assistance that does not require repayment or employment and is usually made to students who demonstrate or show potential for distinction, usually in academic performance.

Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS): A federal scholarship program designed to assist disadvantaged students enrolled in certain health profession disciplines. SDS funds may be used for tuition and other reasonable educational expenses and reasonable living expenses incurred while enrolled as a full-time student.

Scholarship Search Services: Organizations that claim to help students find little known and unused financial aid funds. Families who are interested in using such a service should carefully investigate the company first. There are many online scholarship search services, such as the one at this web site, which feature comprehensive and frequently updated listings of available aid funds.

School Year: See Academic Year.

Self-help Aid: Funds provided through the work and effort of the student, including savings from past earnings, income from current earnings, or a loan to be repaid from future earnings.

Self-help Expectation: The assumption that a student has an obligation to help pay for a portion of his/her education.

Service Academy: The five postsecondary institutions administered by branches of the military (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy).

Simplified Needs Test: An alternate method of calculating the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)for families with adjusted gross incomes of less than $50,000, who have filed, or are eligible to file, an IRS Form 1040A or 1040EZ, or are not required to file an income tax return. This method excludes all assets from consideration. It is part of the federally mandated need analysis methodology, or FM.

Special Allowance: The payment the federal government provides to lenders to bring total interest rates up to market value; acts as an incentive to lending institutions to offer loans in the Federal Family Education Loan programs.

Specialized Training For Army Reserve Readiness (STARR): An educational program sponsored by the Army Reserve whereby the Reserve pays all education-related expenses for Reservists who train in selected medical specialties at their local colleges. The program pays up to $6,000 for tuition, books, and education-related expenses for up to two years. Living expenses are not covered.

Statement of Educational Purpose: Statement signed by the student financial aid recipient indicating his/her agreement to use all financial aid funds awarded for educational or educationally related purposes only. Included as part of the FAFSA.

Student Aid Report (SAR): The official notification sent to a student as a result of the Central Processing System (CPS) receiving an applicant record (via the FAFSA) for the student. The SAR summarizes applicant information, an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) for the student, and displays other special messages related to the students application. In some instances the SAR may need to be submitted to the financial aid office at the school the student plans to attend, but only if the school requests it. See Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR).

Student Budget: See Cost of Attendance.

Student Contribution: A quantitative estimate of the students ability to contribute to postsecondary expenses for a given year.

Subsidy: The money the federal government uses to help underwrite student aid programs; primarily refers to government payments to lenders of the in-school interest on Federal Stafford Loans.