I have two students going to college the same time. I was told by the older student’s college financial aid office that once the sibling attends school, the older student’s EFC will drop to 60% (all other factors remaining constant). Two questions…
Has anyone had a much different experience with this number when two siblings overlap in school?
How far off was the EFC calculation from each child’s financial aid department.
@DMF does your first kiddo go to a college that meets full need for all accepted students? While the family contribution at Profile schools reduces to 60% of what was the total for one student, your aid will likely only 8ncrease IF the college guarantees to meet full need for all.
That EFC…family contribution of 60% is what Profile schools calculate need to be for each of two siblings when two are on college at the same time.
BUT important question…does kiddo one attend a college that meets full need for all?
Oh…one more question…if 60% EFC is still above the cost of attendance, you might not see any additional aid either.
@thumper1, can you explain 60% rule in $?
School 1 COA is 60,000 = if EFC is 60% than NET Price is 24K? school reduction of 36K
School 2 COA is 30,000 = same as above and reduction is only 6K
is this right? and what happens to sibling NET Price for same schools?
You need to run the net price calculator for both schools using 2 kids in college
No…it’s 60% of what the EFC was for kid ONE at his school. Not 60% of the cost of attendance.
So…if your family contribution for kid one was $25,000…then with two kids in college…that kid’s family contribution would be 60% of THAT…or $15,000.
Your total EFC adding both kids together will likely be 120% of what it was with only one in college. BUT that doesn’t mean you are guaranteed more aid.
But yes…you can run the net price calculators for the two kids and see the difference between one being in college…and two being in college.
If you were paying $25,000 for one kid in college last year…you will likely be paying at least $30,000 total for two…
But that’s ONLY if the colleges guarantee to meet full need for all! Everyone!
My older kid went to an expensive private university. At the time (2003-2006) the cost of attendance at that school never exceeded $42,000 a year. His family contribution the first three years was $44,000 each year. He got NO need based aid…because our family contribution exceeded the cost of attendance. His senior year, his sister was a freshman in college. His FAFSA EFC dropped to $22,000 a year or so. BUT his financial aid increased by $250…oh…and that was an addition $250 added to his merit aid award. He didn’t get a dime more of need based aid…his college did not guarantee to meet full need.
Oh…and little sister also didn’t go to a college that guaranteed to meet full need. She got a $6000 merit award, and $5500 Loan…and for some odd reason Perkins Loan and work study. Her FAFSA EFC was about the same as her sibling. We paid the remaining costs out of pocket…which we we expected.
So…does kiddo one go to a college that meets full need for every single student? If not…your aid might not increase one dime.
On the FAFSA, the EFC will likely be about 50% when the sibling is also in school. It can be more if the student has assets or income as it is the parent’s part of the EFC that is 1/2,1/3, etc depending on how many kids are in school. That may help with a Pell grant or qualifying for subsidized loans, but often having siblings in school doesn’t help much with aid based just off FAFSA.
If the school is providing need based aid and using the CSS information to do so, they are telling you a second student would bring down the school’s EFC - not the FAFSA EFC - to about 60% of what it was with only one in school. If the EFC with one in school was $20k, it would go down to $12k, so need based aid might increase by about $8k. The school EFC (it is so confusing when they both use the same term) may also be going down for other reasons - decrease in income, using up the 529 plan(s) so lower assets.
It’s really up to the school what they’ll award or how they consider other children in school.
Yes…for FAFSA schools…the EFC will be 50% of the total for each student. So 100% total.
But for Profile schools…it will be 60% each…so 120% total.
And unless this student attends University of Chicago or Princeton, if they go to a meets full need school, they are completing the Profile.
And as noted…your EFC at a school MIGHT increase…but if the school doesn’t guarantee to meet full need for all…your aid very well could remain the same…or just increase a teeny bit.