<p>Is it normal for your EFC to double in one year after your sibling graduates from a college? Do college financial aid offices go strictly by this year's EFC when calculating financial aid, or do they take into account what we paid in previous years?</p>
<p>I was really surprised by my EFC and would appreciate any comments :(</p>
<p>yes -- it is expected that the EFC will double when the number of students attending college is cut in half.</p>
<p>The EFC is the Expected Family Contribution. When you complete the FAFSA, it asks how many are in college. It takes the total calculated EFC for all family members and divides it by the number in college. There are also additional amounts added for each student depending on their individual assets and income.</p>
<p>so -- if you and your sibling were each expected to pay $10,000 last year (total family EFC of $20,000) and next year your sibling will no longer be in school your EFC will be $20,000 (total family EFC is the same).</p>
<p>Understand that EFC numbers will also change with changes in assets and income (both parents and students)</p>