Different EFCs?

Paying for College
1

Hey,

I was recently accepted to BU, Umass Amherst, and Umass Lowell, and all these colleges have stated different EFCs for me.

Basically, my parents are divorced, and I live with my father here in Mass since the past year, and he can barely contribute 1-5k per year, even that being a stretch. He earns around 45k a year, which is then reduced due to the taxes.

So, BU offered me 32,300 as total aid for the semester, including federal loans (5500) and the grants. However, I do not have 30k to pay the gap (65-32), so I’m passing on this college.

Umass Amherst was my last hope, since it has a decent reputation, and I did like the campus.

However, they’ve stated my EFC as $10500??? How?? Where as Umass Lowell has stated it as $5600?? Why is the EFC different?? My dad can certainly not give 10k a year!

This greatly reduces my chances of need based aid at Amherst and hence increases the amount of private loans I’ll need to take out. When I talked to the college, they said the Efc is calculated prior to the university received the fafsa, so how can it be different?

If it makes a different, Ive gotten in for chemical engineering, have a 3.8 gap (an international student from London), and 2130 on the SAT.

Any help/suggestions would be really appreciated!

2

Every school can calculate their own EFC and what they want to offer you. Simple as that. Differences come into play on what they consider while looking at your finances (some may consider equity in home, others may not for example) and simply how much money they have to offer. The EFC on the FAFSA is used by the government to determine your eligibility for loans it’s not a guarantee (or even an estimate) of what you’ll pay at any particular school.

3

@ClaremontMom Thanks so much for replying!

I have gotten the same, 5500, in federal loans in the other two colleges. So does that mean I’ll still get that in Umass Amherst, since you said the EFC is mostly used the the government?

4

There are certainly others on this board, more well versed in FA than me (and will hopefully chime in with a wealth of information and advice!), but yes, I would imagine that would be the case. Though I think I remember hearing that the schools actually do the allocation based on what you are eligible for, so in that case is possible you won’t however it is probable that you would.

5

Wait, in 1st post you said you are an intl student from London? If you are not a US citizen or green card holder you can’t get federal aid. Can you clarify?

6

^ must have skimmed right over that…good catch…

7

@BrownParent

Oh god, I didn’t mean to sound so confusing. I meant that I’ve done my schooling from London, but I am a green card holder. And since my father has lived here for 5 years, I’m eligible for in-state.

8

Ok well FaFSA methodology schools should come up with roughly the same EFC. However the bottom line cost to you may be different. Is that what you mean? BU as a private school won’t use fafsa methodology, they will use institutional methodology and then they don’t guarantee to meet need. But if you qualify for Pell Grant then you qualify everywhere. Perhaps if you want to cut and paste you awards here we can get to the bottom of it. You still have to file fafsa for final awards.

9

Those schools don’t promise to meet need. The fed govt can’t order schools to give aid beyond the small amounts of fed aid.

Can your mom help pay?

10

@BrownParent

Thanks for replying!!
Nope, I literally mean the actual EFC is completely different. Umass Lowell, under the financial aid summary in my web account, says $5600 is the EFC. On the other hand, when the check Umass Amherst, the amount listed as my EFC is $10,546.
My dad does not own any property over here, neither does he have any other income coming in from elsewhere. So I really don’t understand, how the one university ended up calculating a significantly higher EFC. When I talked to them about it, they told me to double check my FAFSA, which I did, and I still found nothing.

@mom2collegekids

Thanks for replying!
Yes I understand that, but how has Umass Amherst calculated the EFC 5k more than Umass Lowell? Doesn’t the FAFSA calculate the EFC prior to the university receiving the information?

Yep, I am asking my mum to send in some money if she can, but that might be enough to cover the dining plans and books, probably not more.

11

But how could you already file fafsa? Are you talking about next fall, then you file in 2016. Or are you a transfer? But if you filed a fafsa, then you should have got a SAR that has your EFC. From the Feds. No each school acts as a represtative of the federal aid and calculates it. Again if you want to show the numbers…or PM them.

12

The colleges on your list do not meet full need for all students. They can award their need based aid in any amount they choose. Some schools are more generous than others. Some are more costly than others.

The EFC per FAFSA is really only used uniformly to determine your eligiblity for federally funded need based aid.

The colleges are not stating different FAFSA EFC amounts…the colleges are telling you what the balance your family needs to pay at their school.

Are you applying for college starting in September 2016? If so, your actual FAFSA isn’t available for filing until January 1, 2016. Are you a transfer student for the spring semester?

Also, Boston Universotynreqires the CSS Profile, and I believe they require the non-custodial parent profile as well.

Please clarify.

ETA…if this is a freshman admission for fall 2016…Boston university has early decision only. Did you apply ED?

13

And lastly

The cost for one semester at BU is about this amount. The cost for a YEAR is $65,000. Did you receive this amount for the spring semester…or is this the amount of aidmfirmthe full year starting in September!

14

Few schools have the resources/endowment to meet full need. Their FA budget is not limitless.

15

It does sound like you are confusing terms. Fafsa EFC is just to see if you get a Pell grant. If you get it at one school you get it at all. After that grant, if any, each school determines the school aid they give themselves. The bottom line of what you have to contribute will vary. If aid comes from the school, they determine what aid to give. Also if you are going in spring, not all schools give their best aid for spring. Sometimes fall admits get better.

16

@BrownParent

Sorry if I’m not clarifying things properly. After I moved here from London in March 2015, I had missed all the deadlines for fall 15. So I applied for the Spring 2016 as a freshman, hence filing the FAFSA for the current academic year. I just checked the fafsa website, and yes, I do have something called the SAR on it.
And the numbers, I’m not too sure what you mean by those? I haven’t gotten any scholarships, as such. Except the grants from UML and BU. I could PM those??
I’ve gotten $1750 in subsidized federal loans, and $1000 in subsidized loans, for the Spring 2016 semester, if that’s what you mean?

@thumper1
Thanks for replying!

Sorry for not being clear. I’ve applied for and gotten into the Spring 2016 semester as a freshmen, and have to make the decision in the next 2 weeks. Hence, I had filed the FAFSA for the current academic year which was available to me. Also, yes, I had filled the CSS profile and my mums NCP profile for BU, both of which were processed, and hence the grants were given. However, I could end up in 90k debt, so I’m not going to enroll.

So are you saying, the EFC is only used by the government? Because, the cost of Umass Amherst is around 14k for one semester, of which they’ve stated my EFC as 10.5k. Meaning my estimated need is only 3k. And when I talked to the financial aid office, they said I would not be eligible for any grants, since I have a high enough EFC. But that amount is completely wrong. So what should I do about that?

17

You are not eligible for pell or Massgrants?

If U Mass is ~14k/year and they only awarded you 2.7 in loans then you have to come up with almost 11k out of pocket.

https://www.umass.edu/bursar/sites/default/files/Fall%202015-Spring%202016%20ugrad%20full%20time%20fee%20sheet_3.pdf

18

@sybbie719
Thanks for replying!

Nope, I got a letter in the mail saying I was not eligible for the Massgrants. Also, my EFC is too high for any federal pell grants. I guess I’ll have to take out some other loans and try to find work.

19

Do you think you may be better served applying for fall at schools that meet 100^ demonstrated need or where you may be a viable candidate for merit

M2k will hopefully chime in perhaps you may be eligible for full tuition scholatship at Alabama. With your loan, and a little help from both your parents and a job you may be able to swing it

20

@sybbie719
Yeah that does sound like a more practical plan, but I just can’t wait for the next fall. I’ve already been sitting at home since April, and I’m so sick of it already, lol.

I’m hoping my dad can contribute a little more next year, and maybe I could apply for some full time jobs during the summer. Anyway I look at it, I will be in some debt after 4 years.