Updates:
2017-2018 updated with correct Pell Grant Tables. No Change to EFC calculations.
new 2018-2019 spreadsheet based on https://ifap.ed.gov/efcformulaguide/attachments/071017EFCFormulaGuide1819.pdf is posted
Enhanced Spreadsheet to handle households >6 and in college >5 (previous years spreadsheets couldn’t handle it)
Pell Grant Tables for the 2018-2019 spreadsheet will be updated around October 18th, 2017
Thank you! @rgosula For me, I just didn’t understand the use of : in the instructions, and the document ID was just the numeric. Every day I learn something new, thanks.
But as suggested in the article, just keep using what is already in the spreadsheet above, and in the end the pell grant will be the same or slightly better than what is predicted by the spreadsheet.
Just like in high school where the school year goes 2017/18 (current), for college and FAFSA the school year/aid year goes 2017/18 and includes Fall 2017 semester and spring 2018 semester (and possibly summer 2018 depending on school).
So it’s important to use the correct FAFSA for the correct aid year and also to calculate your EFC with the spreadsheet you need to use the one for the correct aid year (and year attending college), because the FAFSA EFC calculation formula changes a bit each year.
YAY!! thank you. I was gonna attempt to create this myself. But you saved me a bunch of time. I wish these college financial aid people would post this as a spreadsheet with formulas. It is ridiculous that they don’t.
There is a FAFSA EFC formula published every year. You can work through it by hand, but this spreadsheet is very handy for adjusting different values and seeing the change in EFC.
FYI, I found the College board EFC calculator very accurate as well.
As a single parent, I feel totally overwhelmed and horribly confused as to how to approach the financial reality of paying for my kid to attend college, any college. Ever. I’m truly operating from a place of sheer panic.
So much so that when they ask for the value of my home (on the FAFSA when calculating the EFC), I interpret that to mean that IN ORDER TO PAY FOR COLLEGE, I AM EXPECTED TO SELL MY HOME.
That sounds crazy, though!
But … is it?? I mean …seriously, is that what people are doing? Or are expected to do? Should I be including that in my plans - putting my house up for sale?
I’m not thinking clearly, probably. Like I said, I’m operating out of pure panic. Picture if you will (yes, I’m hearing Rod Serling’s voice as I type those words) The Scream by Edvard Munch … that is my day-by-day mode of operation with respect to this whole, surreal “how to pay for college” and “how to calculate your EFC based on your FAFSA numbers” scenario. All I can do is put my hands on either side of my head and silently scream, as I ponder how much it will cost me to get a moving van because I’m going to have to sell my house. I’m going to have to sell my house???
I think there is a question in there somewhere. I think the question I’m posing is:
What is the thinking behind reporting the value of our home??? How does that “help” the colleges or FAFSA figure out what the family can contribute?
(If there is a more appropriate thread for parents who freak out about finances in the face of meeting college expenses for the first time, admin, please redirect/post this mini-meltdown as appropriate)
I did not think FAFSA asked for the value of your home. Maybe Profile does ask.
It is always possible to find an affordable way to attend college. cheapest is probably 2 years of community, followed by transfer to state school for last 2 years.
Problem is people want to make more expensive choices. Then yeah it becomes more difficult.
I’m sure you are correct. What do I know! Nothing. I know nothing. I have no clue. Sigh.
I think it was something I encountered on a particular college’s EFC calculator tool. Sorry. I’m pretty sure I’m not getting anything correct about any of this.
I was a new parent once and read all of the “what to expect books”, learned about diapering, teething, babyproofing, when to take them to a doctor, etc.
Later I took out splinters, helped with homework, and later yet, taught them to drive (talk about being terrified, lol).
When my oldest said she wanted to become a pharmacist, I looked at schools in our state and nearby states. I discovered that it is a 6 year degree and quite expensive.
I researched schools that would give good merit for her GPA and test scores.
I calculated our FAFSA EFC and found out that it is too high for Pell grant, but we can get a few thousand in state grant if she attends a school instate.
@rgosula Thank you for sharing the spreadsheet. Just need clarification about how many students in college section to enter. I have currently one in college and one who is a HS junior. Since we will be completing the FAFSA for the HS junior in the fall of 2018, do I enter 2 students in college?