<p>Hello.</p>
<p>As far as I understand, US citizens receive exact numbers of EFC from the colleges AFTER they file FAFSA (correct me right here if I am mistaken).
However, international students who are filing ISFAA must enter the expected annual support themselves.
While it seems much more feasible for The Office of Financial Aid to calculate your EFC based on given financial data rather than having to estimate it yourself, my actual question addresses the Expected Support for Education:
I was under a stupid impression that students usually receive the EFC number first and do whatever they can to make the ends meet afterwards (take a loan, find an on-campus job and scholarships). So, is there no way to increase my EFC number that I will have to enter (those meager $3000 my family is able to muster)?</p>
<p>I am bedazzled for having to estimate the EFC myself. </p>
<p>Thank you for your time and advices.</p>
<p>I don’t know the specifics, but the general idea in most cases for international students is that the college wants to verify that the student has hard cash resources to pay all costs above possible scholarships or grants. The bank verification etc. is usually very detailed. The issue, if an international student misrepresents need to gain acceptance then has insufficient support and no ability to get an outside job student can essentially be stranded or indigent on the doorstep of the university. For many colleges and universities accepting international students is a business proposition because they are expected to pay full boat. Most colleges/universities that provide international aid accept those students in a separate pool where they are competing for an aid slot.
Is this a school that advertises full need for international students?</p>
<p>The EFC that FAFSA produces is not an actual dollar amount that families are expected to pay at most US colleges. It is a number that is used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid programs and is often used for state and institutional aid as well. However, since the vast majority of US colleges do not guarantee to meet need, families often have to pay more than their EFC each year.</p>
<p>So, don’t worry about the FAFSA EFC since it doesn’t mean anything in your case. Just answer the questions to the best of your ability so that your schools can determine what your need is and will hopefully be able to offer you some aid.</p>
<p>The EFC formula does not determine what a family can pay or what the family will pay. It determines whether or not the student qualifies fir certain kinds of financial aid that is paid for be the federal government.</p>
<p>Most families find that their EFC is more than they can pay without using a lot if money from savings, and/or without taking out loans.</p>
<p>When you complete the ISFAA, you will include an estimate of what you think your family can pay. The college/university might decide that you can pay more than that.</p>
<p>My dearest thanks to everyone, especially happymomof1.
As I am applying to both need-blind and need-aware colleges, I know that most of them might reject me because of the small expected family contribution I will have entered.
However, I did not know that if a college liked a student but could not cover his financial need, then (in some cases) it would send the recalculated Expected Support instead of simply rejecting. That is what I have concluded from happymomof1’s reply.
Thank you.</p>
<p>You are correct, each college/university has its own formula for determining how much your family can pay. Places that cost the same, and that look alike to you, may offer you very different financial aid packages. You and your family will have to decide if you can afford those places.</p>
<p>Please remember that you will need to prove that you have enough money to pay for your first year of expenses or you will not get your F-1 visa. This money can come from your family, the college or university itself, or from some other scholarship, or from somewhere else. What matters is that when you go for your visa interview, you must have the information about how you will pay for your education.</p>
<p>Hi!
We have a special situation while filling in ISFAA: calculating its capacity to pay a part of educational cost the parents consider the additional income, which is planned to be received next year from mothers to work out of leave to care for a younger child. We are not able to pay full educational cost, and to pay at least 30% of the cost, mother plans to go to work again. How does college treat it? Will this planned income be taken into account or not? How should we reflect this in ISFAA?</p>
<p>I just want to add that at those schools that use PROFILe and that tend to meet need, American also have to add the expected amount from family and other sources. That is a very sore question for many families. Even if you put a zero, a school is going to calculate its own amount. If you put in more than what that amount ends up being, there is the suspicoun that the school will up it to what you have entered that you can pay, and I have no doubt that there are some schools that do this. </p>
<p>So, if you put in an amount, yes, I think there will be some schools that will just use it as what you can afford if it comes out more than what is calculated using current figures. </p>
<p>It’s a tough situation when you are considering schools that are not need blind in admissions. The question becomes whether or not the extra money you somehow hope happens in the future will increase your chances of getting into the school since you are less needy. And I can’t say it won’t make a differernce. The problem is that you don’t know when it will and when it won’t, because I do believe in some situations it will not. You have to make your own decision about that. Personally, i think the biggest difference in admissions will be in whether or not you need assistance or you don’t and once you are the need category, you might as well put down the need that you have. But that is my personal take on it. There is no special line that can be drawn as to when you become more admissable as you say you can pay more. The schools aren’t going to tell you where that line is, just that it is there for those who have need.</p>
<p>Dima4ka -</p>
<p>ISFAA is not the same as the CSS Profile, or the FAFSA. I don’t think that anyone in this forum knows much about it. You should start a new thread asking specifically about ISFAA in the International Students Forum, and see if any of the people there have advice for you.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>