EFC with two kids vs. 1

In this thread, the person who ask has a child who is already in school, and he’s just wondering if when a second child starts that first child (or maybe the second too) could get some FA and maybe some work study. It’s possible, but if it doesn’t happen the student(s) could still work a different job.

My daughter’s been award WS for several semesters but hasn’t been organized to get a job. I’m not sure why. Now she’s going to be a senior, heads back to school on Thurs, and has a WS job interview set up for Friday. Also might get a job at Starbucks through a friend. Might also be able to teach swim lessons through the local school system like she did a few years ago. That is good money at $15/hr for 4-5 hours on Fridays. It all works out.

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@rickle1 – have you tried contacting the financial aid office at your older kid’s school to simply ask what their policy is?
My daughter’s college was very good about answering my questions and we got exactly what they said we would get.

In our case my daughter was already on financial aid, but once proof of enrollment and cost of attendance information from son’s school was sent, my daughter’s grant was increased. My son was not eligible for financial aid because at the time he was attending a public college-- and my daughter’s grant wasn’t increased all that much because son’s COA was relatively low… but essentially for that year, my daughter’s private college was reimbursing us for my son’s public college tuition.

That still leaves you with a mystery as to what kid #2’s college will do, but that depends on a lot of other factors as well — for example, your kid #2 may end up getting merit aid that exceeds the amount he would qualify for in need-based aid anyway.

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@calmom, I will ask the Fin Aid office to get some clarity on their position. We’re a yr out so just starting to think about these things.

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Our family income was low when my daughters were in college. (Their dad was fired in May of D1’s senior year in high school and has not returned to his pre-termination income.) D1 got good financial aid, as did D2, two years younger, and I have no complaints about what they received from their schools. However, D1’s financial aid did not increase when her sister started college, and D2’s financial aid decreased when her sister graduated.

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I have always wondered whether awards/grants are independent from year to year or not. In other words, does the first year (I have heard it called the base year) have an influence on subsequent years? So, in the case here, would the first year with only one child in college affect the amount received when two kids are in college? From what I have read, having two in college does change the equation but given you have established an ability to pay in the base year, that may affect an individual school’s equation as well. This is more of a question than a statement.

I am in a similar situation myself. Kid 1 started college and got no aid. Kid 2 started college 2 years later and we got a nice aid package for kid 2 (kid 1 still got no aid in her state college). Now, I’m wondering what will happen when Kid 1 graduates next year. Will Kid 2’s aid get cut drastically? I’m sure it will a little but hopefully not a ton if it is related to the base year.

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@privateID

You apply for need based aid annually. Circumstance changes…like having an additional kiddo in college…might have an impact on your family contribution for child one in subsequent years. Your ability to pay was based on ONE kid being in college…not two.

In your situation…when kid one graduates…you may very well see a reduction in need based aid for kid 2.

Your base year…is your base year…and that’s it.

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We are in the same situation ^. D1 went to our state school with no aid… we were not expecting any. D2 applies to schools that meet full need… and currently attends one… our aid is based on having 2 in school at the same time. We will be full pay next year because we will only have one in school and our EFC will be higher than the COA. We knew that going in so it’s not a surprise.

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^Thanks. I understand what you are saying. It is just this whole concept of a “base year” that makes me think colleges do not just cut the EFC in half when a second enters college (I know some do 60/40 or whatever), but rather the base year has some affect as well as to what is actually granted.

You need to put that “base year” thing right out of your head. It isn’t going to matter fo subsequent years.

Schools that meet need know that you could be full pay during a “ base year” ( freshman year for example) and apply for aid again once a second child begins college. My friends son attended a meets full need school at full pay for 2 years. Once his sibling entered college… this student… now a junior… received FA.

A base year does not mean anything. Every year that you apply is evaluated on its own merit … based on the family situation

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I think I am confusing the matter. Just did a quick Google search on “base year” and financial aid and think I got a clearer understanding. I have always thought “base year” was just the first year. However, the term “base year” is used to describe the year being used for any particular year in college. For the 2017/18 school year, the base year was 2015. For the 2018/19 school year, it is 2016. So, there will be 4 "base year"s over a kids 4 year college education.

Sorry if I confused the issue with my question above.

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@privateID your need based aid the first year your kids are in college…had NO bearing on the aid they will receive in subsequent years. You apply annually.

Is that what you are asking?

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You are misunderstanding what the term “base year” means and how it is applied. There is a new “base year” every year. The “base year” is simply the tax year that is used to calculate need-based financial aid, and it changes each new academic year.

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Got it! Thanks for clarifying.

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I actually have twins. My EFC for each twin is 50% of the total last year for S14 who will graduate from college this year. So, combining the two, my total EFC is the same. We will see how this plays out with actual financial aid offers. We are in that hole where you don’t qualify as having financial need (for most schools), but you can’t afford to foot the bill for college. Come on merit scholarships!

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