What if I think my EFC is 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.

Can you dispute your 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 is my EFC so high with low income?

There could be several reasons why your EFC is high with a low income. If your family has a high number of investments or other assets, this could skew your EFC. It is also possible that you made a mistake on the application.

How accurate is the EFC on FAFSA?

Despite its name, the expected family contribution (EFC) isn't the exact amount your family will pay toward your education — many families end up paying more than the estimated EFC, especially when including student loan interest. Rather, your EFC is a key factor in calculating your financial aid package.

Can my EFC be changed?

The Financial Aid Department may adjust your EFC by changing one or more of the elements in the formula used to calculate the EFC. Typically, an adjustment would only be made for financial circumstances beyond your control, which significantly affect your or your family's ability to continue your education.

How Colleges Know If You're Telling The Truth On Financial Aid Forms? Verification Fafsa CSS Profile

How can I lower my EFC legally?

Reduce family income

If possible, defer any workplace bonuses or avoid exercising stock options. If you have an investment that's losing money, consider selling it. The capital loss will factor into your adjusted gross income and could lower your EFC.

What is a good EFC to get financial aid?

Applicants whose EFC is less than 90% of the maximum Federal Pell Grant will receive a Federal Pell Grant. Applicants with a zero EFC will receive the maximum Federal Pell Grant. The average EFC among Federal Pell Grant recipients is about $700.

What is the average EFC score?

An Expected Family Contribution is a dollar figure that represents what financial aid formulas believe a family should be able to pay for one year of a child's college education. No. 2: The EFC for the average American household with an AGI of $50,000 will usually range from $3,000 to $4,000.

What is the EFC for 100k income?

The basic theory is that the lower your EFC, the bigger your financial aid award. A family with an adjusted income of $50,000 and two dependents would expect to have an EFC of around $3,800 without considering any other financial assets. A family with income of $100,000, would have an EFC of approximately $20,000.

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.

How do I get my EFC to 0?

The FAFSA assigns an auto-zero EFC to students who report $27,000 or less in income. Eligible applicants are not expected to contribute financially to their college expenses. Only certain groups qualify. Dependent students qualify based on parental or guardian financial information.

Is EFC the amount I have to pay?

Your EFC is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college, nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. It is a number used by your school to calculate how much financial aid you are eligible to receive.

Can you fix a mistake on FAFSA?

To update your information, you must sign in to FAFSA.gov with your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID and correct the error by following the directions we've outlined below. You entered the wrong Social Security number. You can correct your application by filling out a new FAFSA form.

Can I still get financial aid if my EFC is high?

Even if you have a high EFC, it still makes sense to fill out the FAFSA. Your EFC might be high enough to disqualify you from need-based aid, like grants, but you might still be able to get federal work-study or get federal student and parent loans.

Can you make a mistake on FAFSA?

Corrections: If You Made a Mistake

If you made a mistake in what you reported on the FAFSA form, you'll need to make a correction.

Will I get financial aid if my parents make over $200 K?

But you might be surprised to learn that there are no FAFSA income limits to qualify for aid. For example, a family with a household income of hundreds of thousands of dollars could be helped by other factors in the FAFSA formula, including school costs and the number of siblings also attending school.

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.

What is the EFC for 50000?

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 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 an EFC of $20 000 mean?

If you have an EFC of $20,000, the college meets 70% of financial need, this leaves you with 30% of unmet need (Example, total cost $40,000 less EFC equals financial need of $20,000 times 30% unmet need $6,000. So your theoretical out of pocket costs would be your EFC $20,000 plus unmet need of $6,000 equals $26,000.

What does it mean if your EFC is 10000?

If by “EFC” you mean the one calculated from FAFSA, it is used to calculate Pell grant amounts; if your FAFSA EFC is below the maximum Pell grant amount, you get a Pell grant of the maximum Pell grant amount minus the FAFSA EFC. $10,000 is higher than the maximum Pell grant amount, so no Pell grant.

Will I get financial aid if my parents make over 100k?

If your parents are high earners, you might assume you won't get any financial aid to help pay for college. But that's not necessarily the case. The Department of Education doesn't have an official income cutoff to qualify for federal financial aid.

What is the maximum EFC for Pell 22 23?

Under this new appropriations legislation, the maximum Pell Grant award will increase from $6,495 to $6,895 for the 2022-2023 award year, and the corresponding maximum Pell Grant eligible expected family contribution (EFC) will increase from 5,846 to 6,206.

What is the maximum Pell Grant for 23 24?

The maximum Federal Pell Grant for the 2023–24 award year (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024) is $7,395. The amount an individual student may receive depends on a number of factors. Learn more via the links below: Learn what factors go into determining the amount of Pell Grant funding a student receives.