<p>I have a friend who's interested in less selective schools (he has an 85 GPA and not very promising SAT scores), but his parents won't contribute any money towards his education. how will this situation work out with financial aid and EFC. any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Colleges will expect his parents to pay what the colleges feel the parents can afford, not what the parents want to pay. Your friend will either have to do whatever is necessary to earn merit aid or take out loans or live at home and commute to a college while working, taking out loans, etc. to afford college.</p>
<p>Your friend would be wise to start working a part time job and saving that $ for college. He also could request cash when people ask what he wants for presents. He can use that $ to help with college.</p>
<p>^ Northstarmom is right. Your friend may have to do college as cheaply as possible -- community college, live at home, state U, whatever. He is hurt by low grades and SATs because he is unlikely to get much in the way of scholarship or non-need based money.</p>