<p>Hi,
Is there an EFC cutoff amount for the colleges to base on when they determine if a student is qualified for a Direct subsidized loan? The loan amounts on the financial aid award letters are varied from my son's accepted schools. Two of them offer some Perkins loan and subsidized loan, the other two said we are only qualified for unsubsidized. Since all schools use the same FAFSA, why are we qualified for subsidized loan from one school but not the others? Our FAFSA EFC is $17,305. Can anyone please give me some advice/inputs? Thank you!</p>
<p>As I understand it, the amount of subsidized loan you qualify for is based on the difference between the COA and your EFC+other aid. So if at one school, your EFC plus other aid exceeds the COA, you would not qualify, whereas at another, with a lower COA or less other aid, you could.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nela.net/SiteCollectionDocuments/International/FFELPLoanAmountEligibilityScenarios.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nela.net/SiteCollectionDocuments/International/FFELPLoanAmountEligibilityScenarios.pdf</a></p>
<p>^ Thanks for the link! Based on the calculation, COA - EFC-SCHOOL GRANTS-OUTSIDE SCHOLARSHIP, our unmet need is $5500. If my son does work study for $3000 per year, then the unmet need would be $2500. If all schools use the same method, so this unmet need of $2500 should have been subsidized loan, not unsub. However, the school said we only qualify for unsubsidized. Is there mistake or something?</p>
<p>You might contact them for a clarification. I imagine FA offices can make mistakes. :(</p>
<p>Call the school and find out what the COA is that they are using for your son. Schools have different ways they calculate their COAs, and some fine tune that number using as many actual cost numbers as possible whereas as others will just use some general numbers.</p>
<p>The school just emailed us back and said that it is not guaranteed we would get a subsidized loan and in this case we do not qualify. Too bad 
. . . . poor son has to work more hours…</p>