Currently full pay with 1 kid in school. Second kid starts next yr (and older S will still be in school). New EFc indicates we’ll get some aid from our current full pay school. Essentially the FAFSA split the EFC in half (between both schools). What happens if the cost of school 2 is less then the EFC? Do they take the difference and make us pay more at the original school? What about scholarships? If D is 20k less than EFC at school 2, do they add the 20k to school 1?
As with so many things, it depends upon the schools involved. Yes, if your kids’ finances are the same, their EFCs would be half of what it would be if only one were in college. So if your current EFC, is say,$90k,
For one kid in college, which would wipe out any chances of financial aid other than unsubsidized loans, with two in college, each kid would have about half that amount, $45k as his EFC. Which means possibilities of financial aid if the Cost of Attendance for the schools is over that amount.
But, the catch is that no school (with very few exceptions) guaranteed to meet full need as defined by EFC. If your students do go to schools that guarantee to meet full need, it is highly likely that the school uses PROFILE to come up with a Net Price that General be more than the FAFSA EFC. Some schools will not increase aid for students already enrolled, if a sibling Enters college, or will only throw in a small amount more into the aid package, maybe subsidized loans, work study.
The rules about the second sibling’s school can vary too. There are restrictions, conditions, some schools ask for info in financial aid, merit, cost of the sibling’s college, some do not.
You should call the financial aid office of your first student’s college and ask how they handle a sibling entering college. That’s pretty much a fixed entity since you have a kid there already.
You can run the NPCs for the colleges that are under consideration for your second student and consider how they handle sibling’s in college as a factor. For selecting schools.
Does your older kid’s school guarantee to meet full need for all accepted students? If not, you might not see one dime in additional need based aid.
When our younger kid started college, our older one was still in college. His EFC per FAFSA was $22,000 on a school which cost $40,000 at the time (2006-2007). He didn’t get a dime of need based aid (he hadn’t the first three years because our EFC exceeded the COA)…but his merit aid increased by…$250.
So…just apply for the aid and see. You can do the net price calculator for your high school student and see what your net cost will be with two in college for him.
@cptofthehouse I don’t think the EFC is split in half with two kids. I’ve read a number of times here that each child’s EFC would be 60% of the total EFC. So, if one child had an EFC of $50k then, with two in college, a family would not be expected to pay $25k each but more like $30k each.
I don’t know how much I believe that either. I can’t remember the exact EFC from FAFSA for S19 but it was maybe around $130k so we didn’t bother with CSS. If it was split in half when D21 goes to school then both kids should have an EFC of $65k. That’s not happening as I’ve run a number of NPCs for schools on D21’s list and we would still be full pay for her for the most expensive ($75,000/year) schools on her list. We will be paying more than $150,000 each year for the two of them in college. This is all according to an EFC we would get on FAFSA and not CSS but I think filing for CSS looks even worse for us since we own our house.
@rickle1 have you run any NPCs for your youngest child with two in college? As mentioned above, that’s probably the best way to get an estimate.
for the FAFSA, the EFC is half if there are 2 in school, 1/3 if there are 3, etc., assuming the assets of the students are roughly equal. For my kids the EFCs were a few hundred $$ difference because one had a small amount in a savings account and the other didn’t.
As stated above, that doesn’t mean you’ll see a lot of difference in FA. If Child 1 had an EFC (FAFSA) of $10k, then the new EFC for each child would be ~$5k and that would get a small Pell grant for each child and probably SEOG, work study, and subsidized loans. If the original EFC was $100k, it would now be $50k and unlikely to see a lot of need based aid off just the FAFSA. That’s up to the school and the school could have another form for FA and ask for more information (ex., NPC income or assets) or it could require CSS
The FAFSA does not ask what the sibling is paying for college, only if the sibling is in a qualifying college. My kids both went to FAFSA only schools and neither asked what the sibling was actually paying for her school, only that the sibling was also in school (as indicated on the FAFSA). One child did have a scholarship which meant she paid $0, yet her sister got full credit (1/2 EFC) because both were in college.
To answer OP’s question, there is not shifting of the sibling’s ‘unused’ EFC to the student for federal aid. If the EFC is below ~$6k, each sibling will get a Pell grant and most likely other federal aid.
CSS is different. It is reported that the schools do expect the siblings to pay 60% (or more) if there is a sibling in school, but that’s the CSS EFC, not the FAFSA EFC.
Our FAFSA EFC was too high for Pell, and with one in school, would have been too high for state grant.
When we had two in college, senior and freshman, both qualified for a state grant.
They also qualified for subsidized loans and federal work study.
But no other need based aid at a public instate university.
Thanks for the replies. Interesting. S is at a guaranteed to meet need, CSS Profile school. I thought it would be too simple to just reduce his cost by 50% (which would be nice but not likely). I’ll check with FA at his school and poke around. We don’t know where D will attend yet but many are far less expensive(with or wihtout scholarships) than S’ school.
Be nice if we get some discount. Hopefully not in the form of workstudy as he already has a non-workstudy job at school so swappoing wouldn’t accomplish anything.
If your son attends a college that meets full need for all, you very well could get some need based aid when your daughter is in college at the same time.
The net price calculators really are set up for incoming freshmen, but you could plug your 2018 income and current assets into your son’s college net price calculator and indicate 2 in college. This would only be an estimate. But maybe worth trying.
You indicate you are full pay for kid one…so your family contribution calculation was at least the cost of attendance. If your EFC is very high, than even with two in college, it could still be near or above the cost of attendance.
And lastly, remember that the net price calculators are not particularly accurate if you are divorced, self employed, own a business, own real estate in addition to your primary residence.
I think it’s fine to call the financial aid department and ask…at your son’s school.
@twoinanddone the FAFSA doesn’t ask the cost of other kids’ colleges, but some Profile colleges DO ask this question.
@thumper1 I will plan on discussing this with Financial Aid. You described my situation well as our current EFC is higher than full cost of admission which results in a dramatic decrease in EFC when you add another kid (same total but much less per school, like 50% - which I’m sure won’t happen).
Any aid would be nice. We should have had twins! 
@rickle1 As I said above, our FAFSA EFC was $130k. When I put our info into Bowdoin’s NPC with two kids in college, S19 gets work study. That’s it. I’m guessing work study is the first thing that meets full needs schools give. I don’t even think he’ll take the job because he’s insanely busy with class and XC/track! I bet you’ll find the first thing your S gets from Wake is work study.
@homerdog probably right but we’ll find out. Our EFC is a little less than yours so maybe they’ll take pity on me. I planned on paying full pay for two so not catastophic either way, but a discount would be nice.
Similar to yours, S is crazy busy with school, ECs and work so extra work won’t work. Can’t imagine having the commitment of a college sport in there. S plays club but it’s only a few days per week and you can come and go for the most part.
Good luck. I’m in the “every penny counts” club. Even if your son gets only a teeny bit more aid, it will be something.
^ me too!
All I was saying was the FAFSA is reduced by 50% (if the students have similar assets) when there are 2 in school. Just the FAFSA, and just to calculate the EFC for federal aid. The schools can put up any type of NPC they want to, and I assume the CSS/Profile schools do put up NPCs with their specific formulas, not just the FAFSA EFC formula.
@rickle1 should be able to use the NPC for her oldest child and see what FA it generates. She knows what they got this year so can tell if the NPC is accurate. If it isn’t, then one can’t really depend on anything. If it is close, run it with 2 in college. If it is school grants, the school may ask what they are actually paying for #2 when the time comes.
My older D stayed instate and we paid $18,000 a year. Younger D was a freshman at a fafsa/profile school that met full need when her sibling was a senior.
The cost of our older D’s school had no impact on younger D’s FA. Younger D’s fafsa EFC was higher than the cost of her siblings college.
I think it depends on the school. I would call the FA office and maybe use the NPC.
Btw…we used the NPC for the school that your son currently attends…with older D in college ($18,000 a year). The NPC was accurate and the school gave younger D the same size grant as the school she ultimately chose. The lower cost of her sibling’s school had no impact…at least a few years ago (at your son’s current school). Nothing was added back in. Hope this makes sense!
Our EFC with two in college was 120% of what EFC for one in college. The COA was slightly different at each school, and that was reflected in the types of monies that were included in the FA package. We were close to full pay with one in school, but fortunately S1 had merit money to help offset that. With two in school, the merit $$ meant he got less FA than his brother, but was still about the same total cost.
Do you mean that the total of the two kids’ EFCs were 120% of what it was for one child in college? For example it was $100k for one, but it was $60k each for two?
Does either child have income? Savings?
I spoke to the Fin Aid folks. Of course they need to see the numbers form CSS Profile but they told me the NPC on their site (1 kid vs. 2 kid) is gernerally pretty accurate. Of course we muddy the water owning a business. I submitted the CSS Profile yesterday (FAFSA already submitted) so we’llw ait and see.
Interesting that one of the questions on the Profile was name / cost of the second school. We don’t know where his sister willa ttend and won’t until March most likely. I just put “unknown” on the form. We’lls ee what happens.
Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful.
CSS PROFLE schools can use whatever formula they please in giving out FA as long as they obey government rules in dispensing government aid. Usually, from what I have seen, 60% of institutional EFC is what each sibling gets when there are two in college at same time. However, the FAFSA EFC is halved.
A crucial part of the FA officer’s job is to make sure that every bit of eligible government aid is distributed first according to how colleges use it. For instance, a student may be eligible for Federal subsidized loans or work study, but there may be internal college rules that assure no loan packages, or internal policies that limit work study.
My neighbor’s kids went to Columbia U and NYU They had two in college for several years. NYU did call to get specific sibling college info. Columbia did not. Columbia gave out subsidized loans and work study as additional financial aid whe a sibling entered college. , which was not
Yes…except this has no bearing on actual financial aid awards at schools that don’t meet full need for all OR schools that ask for sibling cost of attendance.
And yes…you owning a business does muddy the waters.