<p>If the EFC is significantly lower than what I state I can pay, and the university meets all demonstrated needs, will I pay around the same as the EFC or what I state I can pay?</p>
<p>
You would pay COA - Financial Aid/Scholarship. Those schools will determine your “demonstrated needs”, regardless FAFSA EFC</p>
<p>Be sure you run the net price calculator each school has on their financial aid website (not the FAFSA EFC calculator). The SCHOOL determines what they calculate your need to be, regardless of what you think you can or will pay. What you state you CAN pay means nothing. They calculate based on your family’s income, assets, # of kids in school, etc. And that is the number.</p>
<p>So it’s going to be the result of the net price calculator for schools who meet full demonstrated needs and not your projection, despite your projection being higher?</p>
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Most NPCs are an estimation of your financial aid/scholarships. The schools who meet full demonstrated needs often use CSS Profile / institutional forms to determine your “needs”</p>
<p>The actual results will be your actual financial aid award. The NPC will give you an estimate.</p>
<p>The college will compute your family contribution…the EFC should be viewed as the minimum you will be exoected to pay.</p>
<p>I get your question, but I don’t have an answer. What you want to know is, if the school calculates your contribution to be $x, but you state on the forms that you can pay more than $x, will they decrease the award because of what you say you can pay?</p>
<p>I don’t know the answer, but I always go low on my estimate, since it’s subjective anyway. I mean, they can’t exactly challenge or verify what you THINK or FEEL that you can pay. So why risk it? If they give more aid than you need or want, you don’t have to accept it all.</p>
<p>What you SAY you can pay doesn’t matter one bit. What matters is what the calculations turn out to yield for your family contribution. And your actual family contribution will depend on the need based aid awarding policies at your colleges</p>
<p>You will not be charged more just because you say that you can pay more. That said, why are you saying that you can pay more?</p>
<p>While the school meets all demonstrated need, it is not need blind. If I ask for less, wouldn’t it lower my chances?</p>
<p>I don’t even know why they ask what you can pay… doesn’t seem to influence how much aid they give. I wouldn’t try to game it.</p>
<p>The school meets full need. The school will compute your family contribution. That will determine your need according to the school. What you say you can pay does not matter…even at a need aware school. At a need aware school, your financial aid needs will be considered if you apply for financial aid. Period.</p>