<p>If your EFC from the FAFSA seems unreasonably high (they'll all too high, I guess, but you know what I mean), punch the numbers into the FinAid calculator. It will give you an EFC, but also it breaks down the EFC and shows where it came from (student assets, student income, parental assets, parental income). It also shows you your asset and income protection allowances. VERY handy when preparing to complete the FAFSA, and when trying to track down possible errors.</p>
<p>No sense fretting over 20 or 30K in parental savings/assets, for example, when you find out your parental asset protection allowance is 45K (if no other reportable assets). On the other hand, 10K in student assets will bump the EFC by 2K.</p>
<p>With income 50K, you must be showing high assets in order to wind up with a 15K EFC. Ditto income of 70K getting a $36K EFC. Perhaps in both cases, you showed significant assets in the student's name.</p>