What does it mean if my EFC is 10000?

In fact, most schools can't give you any free money with an EFC of $10k. Since your EFC is too high for a Pell Grant, your $10k EFC means nearly nothing, except that your child might get some work-study and a small subsidized student loan and a small unsub loan.

Is an EFC of 10000 good?

The overall average EFC is about $10,000, with an average of about $6,000 for students at community colleges and $14,000 at 4-year colleges. Slightly more than half of students have an EFC of $2,500 or less. Slightly more than 10% have an EFC greater than $25,000.

What does an EFC of $20 000 mean?

An Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $20,000 on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) means that the federal government has determined that your family is expected to contribute up to $20,000 towards your college education for the upcoming academic year.

What is a bad EFC number?

Once your FAFSA form is received, the schools arrive at a number between 0 and 4617 that will result in a federal student aid grant for the following academic year. Any person with an EFC number at 0 will receive the maximum amount of student aid, while a number over 5273 will result in no aid at all.

What is the highest EFC possible?

Use of the expected family contribution

Generally speaking, the lower the EFC, the higher the financial aid award will be. Zero is the lowest EFC number (indicating that the family cannot afford to pay anything) and 999,999 is the highest.

Why is my Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA so high?

What happens if my EFC is too high?

In general, you should receive a more substantial financial aid package with a low EFC, whereas a high EFC means you might need to resort to unsubsidized or private student loans to cover costs your family can't afford.

What does an EFC of 50000 mean?

An Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $50,000 means that the family is expected to contribute $50,000 toward the student's education expenses for the academic year.

How do I lower my EFC?

Lowering your income in the base year can make a big impact on EFC calculations. Adjusted gross income can be assessed up to 47% and assets are assessed at only 5.64%, so lowering a parent's income in the base year can be eight times more effective in lowering a family's EFC as compared to minimizing parental assets.

How do I interpret my EFC number?

Your college will subtract your EFC from your COA to determine your financial need. For example, if your COA is $40,000 and your EFC is $16,000, your financial need is $24,000. This means you are eligible for a maximum of $24,000 in need-based aid, like federal Pell grants, work-study, or subsidized loans.

What does EFC 00400 mean?

Your FAFSA EFC number is equal to a dollar amount. For example, 4000 is $4,000. Your EFC isn't the amount of money you will be paying for college. It also isn't the amount of money you will get in financial aid. Rather, it is used in the formula for calculating your financial need.

What does an EFC of 12000 mean?

For example, 12000 is $12,000. This means that the federal government (and colleges) expect your family to be able to reasonably contribute $12,000 per year towards your college expenses. That said, the EFC number is not the definitive amount your family must pay for school. Rather, the number is a starting point.

What if my EFC is 5000?

» LEARN: How much financial aid can I get? Say, for example, a school's total cost of attendance is $20,000 and your EFC is $5,000. You could qualify for up to $15,000 of need-based aid through programs like federal Pell Grants, direct subsidized loans and work-study.

What does an EFC of 30000 mean?

An EFC Example

So, for example, if a college has a cost of attendance of $60,000 and you have an EFC of $30,000, then your financial need would be $30,000. This is an important number to the college because this is how they establish if your family has need-based eligibility.

What does EFC of 8000 mean?

Your college will subtract your EFC from your COA to determine your financial need. For example, if your COA is $20,000 and your EFC is $8,000, your financial need is $12,000. This means you are eligible for a maximum of $12,000 in need-based aid. However, colleges don't have to meet 100% of your financial need.

What does an EFC of 9000 mean?

With an EFC of 9,000 you would not be eligible for federal grants but would probably be eligible for loans and work study. The school uses the extra financial information you provided on CSS to determine your need, for institutional aid purposes, using their own formulas.

Why does my EFC start with a 0?

An Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of 0 simply means that one has a financial need of 100% of the total cost of attendance at that school. This student will likely qualify for a full Pell Grant and other need-based federal money.

Could my EFC be wrong?

If you believe that a college has calculated your EFC incorrectly, contact the financial aid office. Financial aid administrators can explain how they determined your EFC and discuss your options. Your EFC may be lowered if your family has had a significant change in income or expenses since you applied.

Is a EFC of 00000 good?

Families with a low EFC will receive need-based aid. In some cases, the EFC may be 00000 or 0. This number isn't a mistake. It just means that the government determined you qualify for all types of need-based financial aid.

Is my EFC supposed to be 0?

If a dependent students' family's income is less than $24,000 and government assistance was needed for that filing year, the EFC will automatically be zero. A zero means a family has no ability to contribute to the student's education.

Do you want a high EFC?

College financial aid offices use the EFC to estimate how much financial aid the school will offer to enrollees. Students with low EFC receive the most student aid. Learners with high EFC receive less aid. Applicants with family incomes below $26,000 qualify for an automatic zero EFC and maximum federal funding.

Can I appeal my EFC?

A financial aid appeal can either go two ways: it can be denied or approved. If an appeal is approved, the financial aid administrator will make changes on the student's FAFSA. From there, a new EFC will be generated, which will result in a new financial aid package.

Why did my EFC go down?

Financial aid administrators can explain how they determined your EFC and discuss your options. Your EFC may be lowered if your family has had a significant change in income or expenses since you applied.

What does an EFC of 7000 mean?

This shows that you're eligible for $7,000 in need-based aid. EFC also affects your eligibility and award amounts for federal need-based aid programs.

What does an EFC of 15000 mean?

Your EFC is your Expected Family Contribution, the amount of money the government thinks your family can afford to put toward your student's college education for that year. So if you have an EFC of $15,000, the government expects that your family can pay for that much of the college bill for the year you're applying.

Is 50000 a high EFC?

The EFC for the average American household with an AGI of $50,000 will usually range from $3,000 to $4,000. There is no cap on EFCs so some very wealthy families will have EFCs that exceed the cost of an expensive private university.