<p>I am having trouble understanding what kind of financial aid I will get. </p>
<p>My parents are divorced and both remarried--is my EFC for all 4 then??</p>
<p>My mother recently moved and bought 60 acres of land, and built a barn, plus a new house--does this count against my chance because we have a lot of land/assests? or good because now we have less money?</p>
<p>I have an older sister in college and a brother who will be going the same year as me, both whom my parents contribute too-does that help at all?</p>
<p>My step-dad is a doctor but pays A TON in alamony--? anything?</p>
<p>I am lost...any feedback would be grand.</p>
<p>the whole thing sounds complicated... but it's all about net worth. The barn, land, and house your mom bought have a value that adds to your parent's net worth, and any income your parents have also adds to thier net worth.</p>
<p>I was granted $0 of financial aid. (Note: they didn't disqualify me, they just didn't give me anything.. so apply anyway).. I live in California, and the property values are insane.. my parents own a house so that adds a ton to the net worth, enough to make me look rich enough to pay for college.</p>
<p>It's not really all about net worth, and any income your parents make doesn't necessarily add to their net worth.</p>
<p>Your expected family contribution will be the sum of a % of each of these amounts:</p>
<p>Your income
Your assets
Your parents' income
Your parents' assets</p>
<p>It's your custodial parent that counts. If she gets alimony, or child support from the non=custodial parent, that counts as income. If she's remaried, your step-dad's income/assets will count as well. </p>
<p>The value of Mom's property (actually, the equity in the property) if it's her primary residence, won't hurt you for schools that accept the FAFSA. Private schools that require the Profile will probably count some of her home equity against you for financial aid purposes. Some of these schools cap home values at 2.4% of income, though, so there's hope even there.</p>
<p>Try the calculator and see how you come out. Buy the book: How to Pay for College Without Going Broke" for a good analysis of the whole process.</p>
<p>The cap on home value is 2.4 TIMES income not 2.4% of income.</p>
<p>oops. Yes, that's correct of course.</p>