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<p>Great point. I am 110% positive we won’t qualify for $1 of aid (unless it’s merit aid). Are you required to fill out the FAFSA?</p>
<p>bc and singer, i didnt want to file fafsa either, but emailed a few schools and agree was told that to qualify for merit aid need to file it also . we dont qualify for any need based, and are self employed, i am dreading if we get picked for verification even if dont qualify, it is such a pain</p>
<p>You don’t <em>have</em> to file a FAFSA but you also don’t <em>have</em> to be considered for merit aid, either…if you want to be considered, you must file it. Its up to you. I have two in college, both private, and our EFC did work out better this year. It is still high. And it will only last for 2 years. Fortunately D2 received a large merit scholarship that she keeps regardless of income if her GPA is acceptable…which I will be honest, it had better be. Or the loans will be hers and she knows that. It is certainly feasible. What kills us is inheriting a 2nd home that personally I don’t want but my h does (it was in his family). He refuses to borrow against it but as an asset it does hurt us. Oh, well. Every situation is different and you do what you can. And for the record - no maid, no pricey cars/clothes, no boat, no lawn service (my H and he does not get paid), no cable…and we survive.</p>
<p>We did not fill out FAFSA and did not ask for merit $$ and our son got several offers, including from the school he is now attending.</p>
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<p>That’s encouraging. I know son won’t qualify for merit aid at his reach schools but we do want to be considered for merit aid at his match and safety schools. I guess I will need to check with each college to make sure they don’t require the FAFSA.</p>
<p>We didn’t bother with the FAFSA freshman year, but did it this (sophomore) year so she could apply for an unsub Stafford. Some of her freshman apps required the PROFILE for merit consideration,</p>
<p>I certainly freaked out when we were not going to get any aid with two kids planning on going to two expensive private schools especially since one of the schools is known for giving tremendous financial aid.</p>
<p>Wow. Those of you who are freaked out about your EFC, are you responding to the results from an online calculator or something concrete you got back from a college FA office? Because I have to say that our results from the online calculators we’ve used have been a pleasant surprise. I’m hoping that’s not because they have no relation whatsoever to reality.</p>
<p>In our case, it was based on the nice short letter from each school.</p>
<p>No make up?!</p>
<p>FYI- I heard a story of a huge merit award- 1/3- tuition but the parents were asleep at the wheel and didn’t fill out the FASFA. They lost the award. oops!</p>
<p>Sorry, one more thought (the no make up thing must have distracted me) someone advised me take all your investments and pay down your mortgage. That’s how you lower your EFC but we didn’t do that…</p>
<p>I’m not worried about my EFC. I AM worried about graduating deeply in debt. I think that’s something we all share, here - high EFC or low.</p>
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<p>EFC is not provided by the colleges. You get your actual EFC at the time you file the FAFSA (online), and that’s when I had my freakout. But the calculators if used correctly come pretty close.</p>
<p>BTW, I’ve never heard anyone use the terms “EFC” and “pleasant surprise” in the same sentence.</p>
<p>Hate to admit it but our EFC is pretty much on the money (No pun!). After bills are paid, what is left each month basically adds up to what our EFC is. Unfortunately, we haven’t been saving it!!!</p>
<p>We also have not been saving. For DD1 we were required to fill out FAFSA for her merit aid. We have not had to since. For DD2 we filled out FAFSA so she could file for Unsub Stafford. It’s just part of the process.</p>
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LOL. Well, put it this way–I was expecting a number that would cripple us, and I saw one that would only radically simplify our lifestyle.</p>
<p>LOL nightchef, I hear ya. When I first saw the number, I literally thought it was impossible. But after I finished hyperventilating and crunched the actual numbers, it became doable. One piece that I hadn’t considered was how much we’d save by virtue of the fact that D and her expensive EC are no longer living under our roof, a surprisingly large amount. Plus what we can pay out of current income, and a somewhat streamlined lifestyle. We took a private loan for the rest, which as DH pointed out, is about the price of a mid-size semi-luxury car over the 4 years. Not so scary when I think about it like that. We may even be able to retire someday. :)</p>
<p>What gets me is that our EFC is 25k and my parents aren’t paying for anything except books. I usually have a nervous breakdown every time we get our FAFSA stuff back. There has got to be a better way to determine financial aid eligibility. </p>
<p>As a result I have the max unsubsidized stafford loan and a $17,000 private loan (per year), all of which did not disburse today as the financial aid office promised they would, and the bill is due in approximately half an hour. Time for another nervous breakdown.</p>
<p>anxiousmom: Can you name such and auto insurance. Our Ins. Company only provided a small discount if my S was to retain his insurance. If he didn’t keep it he wasn’t guaranteed to be picked up when he needed it.</p>
<p>For those of you that have increased your income to be able to pay for college. Have you not found that increasing your income is a catch 22 as it also increases the EFC? This is my first year of having a student in college, so we are trying to figure it out.</p>