<p>So, I just received my financial aid package from my first choice college, and they were very generous but Johns Hopkins gave me an even more generous package (totaling $49,000) and calculated my EFC differently. In fact it was 5000 dollars lower than that of Duke. I'm guessing that these two colleges use the same methodology to calculate someone's EFC since they both use the PROFILE, so why do I have two different EFC's? I think it would make more sense if I had different aid packages, than different EFC's? </p>
<p>Can someone care to help, or offer insight?
Should I negotiate my EFC with them?</p>
<p>Schools using the information on the Profile can use it any way they choose. They can have very different ways of computing your abililty to pay using the information on the Profile. It’s the SCHOOL’S money…they can distribute it any way they choose to. It is not uncommon to have wildly varying financial aid packages from private schools using the Profile.</p>
<p>Schools that use profile use the numbers provided differently according to their own formulas. So yes they will have different EFCs. (unlike FAFSA EFCs which should always be the same)</p>
<p>I still don’t understand why I have two different EFC’s, since I sent the same information on the PROFILE to both colleges. I am not complaining about Duke’s package, since they met 100% of my need, but they met my demonstrated need on a much higher EFC (5000 higher) than that of Johns Hopkins. I was just wondering if I should contact Duke and ask why their EFC is so much higher than that of Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>The other posters are right – each school uses the financial data included in the CSS Profile as they want to. Also, not every school meets your identified need (cost of attendance minus EFC); some will leave a “gap” and expect you or your family to come up with that extra money. </p>
<p>As a result, each school’s financial aid package is unique and may or may not come anywhere close to the packages offered by other schools (even those of similar selectivity).</p>
<p>Ekmiss…the schools can use a lot of the information differently to determine your need. AND it is important to remember that the SCHOOL’S (each one separately for those that use the Profile) determine your need, not your family. Things that could differ…amount of home equity that is considered, amount of asset protection, inclusion of farm income, self employed assets. I’m sure there are other things as well, but these are off the top of my head. It is VERY possible that Duke’s computation of your family contribution considers your family’s income and assets in a different way than JHU. This is not unusual. In addition to differences in dollar amounts, many students see a very different grant/scholarship to loan ratio from school to school. It’s the way it is. AGAIN…it is THEIR money…and they can determine need any way they choose. It’s not like the FAFSA where your EFC is the same for federal funds from school to school.</p>
<p>My Ds efc varied by $20,000 between 5 different schools! The poorest package was from a school that is 100% need, or they profess to be. Anyway, some count the equity in your families house at a higher rate, some expect you to earn more in the summers, some phase out financial aid at a certain income, etc. $5,000 difference is really nominal, you know. Go ahead and ask, but it will sound greedy as both schools are giving you almost a free ride! You should be grateful, not asking for more. Just my opinion, I know, but you can work full time this summer and make a few thousand at a minimum wage job. Plan to do that every summer.</p>
<p>Remember as well that Profile customizes itself according to the schools you apply to. Some schools ask for specific questions and some don’t. The ones that don’t, do not get the answers to those questions, so they don’t get “the same information” regardless of what you filled out. The most popular question I’ve seen that varies from school to school asks about the cars you own and what is owed on them. If a school doesn’t want that question, it will not get the answers and will not include any information in its calculations.</p>
<p>Ok, I understand now. I’ll still ask them anyway, because I have nothing to lose, don’t I? I’ll have to bombard you with another question though if anyone is willing to answer it. What about grants? If I qualified for federal pell grants, shouldn’t I have received that from duke as well?</p>
<p>If you qualify for a Pell grant you should get it anywhere you go to school. It is based on the FAFSA EFC. Also it is not a limited funds grant so you should get what your EFC qualifies you for.</p>