<p>Hello! Quick question. Has fafsa changed their criteria or something because last year my efc was zero and this year my efc is 2175. nothing has changed. should I speak to my financial aid department? The information has been verified through them but i'm still curious as to how they got this amount.</p>
<p>Are you sure nothing has changed?</p>
<p>Has there been a change in the number of people in your household?</p>
<p>Has there been a change in the number of students attending college?</p>
<p>Are you saying that income is exactly the same?</p>
<p>Is it the EFC given you by the FAFSA or the EFC given you by the school? Many schools increase the EFC for older students, since they will expect in increase in summer contribution, etc.</p>
<p>Something must have changed. Check parent income/assets and student income/assets. Another possibility is that you were eligible for the automatic 0 EFC last year and are not this year. Eligibility for the automatic 0 EFC include parent income <$30,000 and:
-parent eligibility to file a 1040A or 1040EZ tax return (rather than a 1040)
-or parent being a displaced worker
-or someone in the family receiving for means tested program such as food stamps etc</p>
<p>I am going to guess verification showed that you misreported something on your FAFSA (not saying you did it intentionally!). After making necessary adjustments, your EFC was not actually 0.</p>