<p>Hi there! We just got our EFC and were shocked at how high it seemed. My mom is a teacher and her income was about 49,000. Fafsa said our EFC should be 12 thousand and something. Would this be because she reported 18 thousand in child support? Child support will end when I graduate and I don't know if my dad will pay for much college after he gets to stop paying support. We won't be able to afford anywhere near that EFC, especially if I end up going out of state. Maybe we were wrong in thinking that because we were a single parent household basically living paycheck to paycheck that we'd qualify for more aid? Should we tell colleges that support will be ending in June? Would that change calculations or do they assume that's how much he should pay? Thank you!</p>
<p>Yes you should tell the schools that child support will be ending. That untaxed $18,000 will have bumped your EFC up quite a bit. Loss of income is something they are able to make an adjustment for. It is at their discretion.</p>
<p>It is likely your EFC will still not be low enough to be eligible for federal grant aid though. The max EFC for the Pell is 4617. Unless your out of state schools have good institutional aid (aid they award out of there own money) you may find the aid package lower than you hope.</p>
<p>Yes.</p>
<p>In the meantime, you should talk to your dad and ask him how much he can contribute to your college education.</p>
<p>Thank you both! That’s what we were thinking too. And yes, we’ve been trying to get a commitment from my dad. Not easy, but we think if he “approves” of where I accept, he’s likely to give more $. Thanks again for your advice!</p>
<p>And yes, we’ve been trying to get a commitment from my dad. Not easy, but we think if he “approves” of where I accept, he’s likely to give more $.</p>
<p>Well, then, the strategy needs to include making him feel like he’s part of the selection process. 
Ask him to go to some college visits with you. </p>
<p>Have you asked him where he thinks you should consider?</p>
<p>Good luck!!!</p>