<p>As the title says, do the Pell Grants subtract from the EFC, or does the EFC remain the same? For instance, if I have a EFC of $4,000 and eligible for a (say) $1,500 Pell Grant, does the EFC remain at $4,000 or does the Pell Grant subtract from it, giving $2,500?</p>
<p>I tried Googling for this until my Googler was worn out and no such luck. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Your efc is unaffected by the sources of aid.</p>
<p>No the pell grant does not subtract from the EFC. Nothing subtracts from the EFC. The Pell and other aid are to meet your financial need (or part of it).</p>
<p>For instance if your schools COA is $20,000 and your EFC is 4000, then your need is $16,000 (20,000-4000). The Pell of $1500 would reduce your need to $14,500 (16,000-1500). Your EFC would still be 4,000.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are a bit confused about how financial aid works.</p>
<p>Pell and other aid do not subtract from EFC. </p>
<p>The only thing that reduces EFC are merit scholarships that are so big that they exceed need. That’s why some people with high EFCs that they can’t afford seek big merit scholarships.</p>
<p>What is your situation?</p>
<p>What schools did you apply to?</p>
<p>How much can your parents contribute? Can they pay their EFC amount and possibly more?</p>
<p>Did you apply to any financial safety schools?</p>
<p>i think all scholarships add to EFC for some schools like USC. they simply just add your scholarship amount to the EFC and subtract whatever financial aid you would have received from the school. so i guess there’s really no benefit of getting scholarships if they simply just add it to the EFC</p>
<p>They don’t add scholarships to the EFC at all. If they did that it would affect eligibility for grants such as the pell grant (which is a need based grant, not a scholarship). But scholarships do generally reduce need. (which is quite different from being added to the EFC as the need being reduced does not affect pell eligibility)</p>
<p>i think all scholarships add to EFC for some schools like USC.</p>
<p>No. Swimcatsmom explained it right.</p>
<p>For instance…say my EFC was $30k and the school cost $40k. So, I’d have a $10k “need”. Say, I get a $20k per year scholarship. That would erase the $10 need and reduce by $10k and I would now only have to pay $20k. 
So, my EFC was reduced.</p>
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<p>Yeah, I am. I have a very minute clue as to what I’m doing, which is why I’m here! :)</p>
<p>
I still have in-state schools, which I’m sending the applications in tomorrow (as their deadlines aren’t really until May/June). </p>
<p>
Nope. In fact, I’m probably going to have to borrow the amount to pay the EFC.
Considering that all of the schools (aside from in-state ones) I’m applying to are within the 40-50k/year COA, I highly doubt that I’ll get enough merit aid to cut into the EFC. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone for their responses. All of this is quite confusing and I’m just going by the seat of my pants.</p>
<p>What is your EFC?</p>
<p>
$4,524. It’s a bit rough when you don’t have it. My family wasn’t planning on me going to college, so there were no “college funds,” etc.</p>
<p>*Considering that all of the schools (aside from in-state ones) I’m applying to are within the 40-50k/year COA, I highly doubt that I’ll get enough merit aid to cut into the EFC.
*</p>
<p>*$4,524. It’s a bit rough when you don’t have it. My family wasn’t planning on me going to college, so there were no “college funds,” etc. *</p>
<p>What schools did you apply to? </p>
<p>What are your stats?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I applied to MIT (long shot), Rensselaer, WashU and Rose-Hulman, as well as New Mexico Tech and Univ. of New Mexico. </p>
<p>My latest ACT composite was 31 (“superscored,” 33) and my accumulative GPA is roughly 3.7. What other stats do you need?</p>
<p>hmmmm…</p>
<p>Have you rec’d any generous merit from your NM schools? I realize that their merits may be just free tuition, but if you get $1400 in Pell, some institutional grant money, and work-study on top of that, you may only have to get a Stafford loan to cover EFC and books.</p>
<p>I think that UNM and the tech school will be generous with you because they’ll want your ACT score. If they’re not, you should appeal to them. Your ACT is above UNM and Tech’s mid 50 range. Your score is WELL above UNM’s mid 50s. See below</p>
<p>UNM
ACT Composite: 19 - 25 </p>
<p>NM Tech
ACT Composite: 23 - 29</p>
<p>Do you think you have a good chance at this scholarship?</p>
<p>The Regents’ Scholars Scholarship Program provides tuition and fees, room and board, and books to fifteen to twenty freshman students who meet specific criteria outlined below. The award is renewable for four years if the student meets specific renewal criteria each year.</p>
<p>Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and meet the following requirements: </p>
<p>Valedictorian or;
ACT composite score of 31 or higher (or SAT equivalent 1360) or;
A cumulative sixth (6th) semester grade point average of 3.9 or higher and;
A statement of goals and philosophy
Two letters of recommendation</p>
<p>I know that at NM Tech, I qualify for $5k/year merit scholarship and a ~$4k/year lottery scholarship following the first semester. The deadline the merit scholarship is February 1st, but the requirements are quite lenient as far as materials needed. </p>
<p>As far as UNM, I believe that I have missed the deadlines for the Regents/Presidental scholarships, unfortunately. </p>
<p>My plan is to see what kind of FA I get from my out-of-state schools, and if it’s unreasonably low, I’ll go to NM Tech. Even as a “backup plan,” it’s still pretty decent.</p>