EFC shot up...

<p>My EFC rose by 5000 since apparently our 2008 income estimate was $10000 lower than what actually was. Basically, are the colleges who gave me a financial aid estimate already going to change my aid package?</p>

<p>Depending on the type of aid they awarded, you may see a considerable change in their offer. For example, if your EFC previously made you Pell eligibile, your new EFC would result in your not being eligible for Pell, thus causing them to remove any SEOG, ACG, or other aid that is restricted to Pell recipients.</p>

<p>Ah. My EFC was previously around 9400, and I didn't get a Pell Grant. I'm mostly curious if schools will want to lower their own grants.</p>

<p>It depends on any EFC requirements attached to the grants. The only way to know for certain is to call and ask them.</p>

<p>Should I wait and see if they send any revised versions? Any edited versions wouldn't be in my favor. I noticed that the two schools that seemed to have seen my new FAFSA chose to give me less aid, in comparison to the packages that I received earlier this week.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help. :)</p>

<p>Where I work, aid is packaged using a computer program that has rules associated with EFC. If you change your info & EFC changes, your awards will be updated using your new EFC. As for how you will be affected, it definitely depends on the school. Your original EFC would have been too high to get any grants where I work - but it sounds like your school is more expensive. I would guess that your awards might change up to the amount of your EFC change - but maybe not. Definitely call.</p>

<p>BTW, were you selected for verification? If so, and if the school notifies you that you are being verified, your info will get a close-up look. Sometimes that can work in your favor, if you entered info incorrectly. I have found many students fill out the FAFSA incorrectly. At times, the adjustments made during verification make the EFC go up, but other times it goes down (of course, it often stays the same, too).</p>

<p>I definitely need grant money to attend any of my private schools...ack, should I call all of my schools? My parents are okay paying for the more generous schools, but I'm definitely leaning away from the less generous schools that saw my new EFC.</p>

<p>Yeah, I got picked for verification and sent some extra forms to one of my schools. I think two more of them asked. But ultimately, the school I choose to attend WILL want to see the forms, right? And so they can lower my aid if they want to....ugh.</p>

<p>No, they don't lower your EFC if they want to. What I mean is that sometimes students put the wrong numbers on the FAFSA. During verification, the correct info is input into the system - if you put info in wrong, your EFC may change. You sent info to two schools - what happened to your EFC at those schools? Did it stay the same as the new, higher EFC? If so, then that will be the EFC at the school you want to go to (because it was verified as being correct based on the tax info you provided).</p>