<p>If I were applying to Brown and the FAFSA says my EFC is 10k, would they use their own calculator or would they use the EFC and assume we can pay that?</p>
<p>10k is projected, and .. we definitely can't afford that..</p>
<p>Remember, the EFC is expected family contribution which consists of parental contribution and student contribution. In addition to the parental requirement, schools ask students to contribute from summer earnings, from work study, and also through loans.</p>
<p>As for the EFC at Brown, it depends on your situation (income, savings, assets). Your EFC could be more, since Brown uses the Profile (asks the value of your home) and its own form (asks about cars you drive, etc) - so if you own these things, your EFC can be higher than the FAFSA EFC. </p>
<p>But OTOH, if your income is under $60,000, then parents don't have to contribute their portion of the EFC - but the student still needs to contribute some. Under 100,000 income, Brown replaces student's loans with scholarship $ - but still has to contribute from summer earnings and work study.</p>