<p>I managed to get the info I needed for my 2008 FAFSA. I filed it last year and my EFC was around 8800. I did again this year, and I suppose due to a few things changing in my family's circumstances and other things, my EFC turned out to be 4545. However, I don't think it makes difference in how much I'll have to contribute since most of the schools I'm applying to are currently public and likely to just give me a big gap to fill like they did when I applied last year. I'll hopefully be finishing a Gap Year in August, and while I'm trying to apply to more places, I don't think my EFC, lower or not, is going to make a difference in my financial aid. Will it? Or is this all just up in the air?</p>
<p>No ideas at all? I'm just hoping I won't have to take out as big of a loan by the time August comes and that schools will be a bit more generous, if public schools can afford to do that. Or should I try to aim for private schools that, while they cost a ton, may have more resources?</p>
<p>Other things being equal, the lower EFC will result in a more generous aid package from a given school. Use College Board to identify the colleges that meet the highest % of need, and among those, the ones with the highest ratio of grants to loans.</p>
<p>If you meet the limit for the Pell grant, you may get that and if you then qualify for the ACG & Smart grants it could make a big difference. Qualifying for even the smallest Pell grant could get you $1500 ACG and $8000 Smart grants over 4 years, so a small change COULD make a difference</p>
<p>Well, that's not going to happen. I'm not eligible for a Pell Grant.</p>