<p>Does having free/reduced price lunch increase your financial aid package?</p>
<p>That your family is eligible for FARMs is indicative of your financial situation, but does not guarantee that you will receive financial aid. The formulae used to calculate your EFC for the FAFSA and for the CSS Profile are different from the formula used to calculate eligibility for FARMs.</p>
<p>Hmmm...I hope Swimcats or SueinPhilly respond. Doesn't qualifying for free/reduced lunch put a student in the running for the simplified needs test or auto 0 EFC or something??</p>
<p>simplified needs test</p>
<p>Yes, it is auto 0 EFC.</p>
<p>If you also meet the income limitations then it is another way to be eligible for either simplified needs or the automatic 0 EFC (the others are to be eligible to file a 1040a/ez or to be a dislocated worker). But you must also meet the income limitations - $50,000 for simplified needs and <$30,000 for automatic 0. The income is the first test for either simplified need or automatic 0.</p>
<p>It is received means tested benefits or eligible to file a 1040a/ez or be a dislocated worker AND have AGI below $30,000 (for automatic 0) or $50,000 (for simplified needs).</p>
<p>It is not an auto zero. For the 2008/2009 term I marked the free lunch option (the kids get it) and our EFC was 1100. Same thing this year with the free lunch but made 1k less and got an EFC of 0.</p>
<p>It is one of the criteria for the auto 0 - but you must also meet income criteria. Last year the maximum income for automatic 0 was <$20k. This year it is <$30k. </p>
<p>The free lunch on it's own does nothing without meeting the income criteria.</p>
<p>That explains it last year we made 24k and this year 23k.</p>
<p>P.S. I was referring to post 5 the first time around.</p>
<p>"Does having free/reduced price lunch increase your financial aid package?"</p>
<p>Not necessarily. Most colleges can't meet students' full financial need anyway. Just because you need lots of money doesn't mean you'll get the money you need in your financial aid package. The colleges that are the most generous also are the colleges that are the most difficult to gain admission to. </p>
<p>Some colleges that can't meet the full financial need of all applicants whom they accept, give priority to students who have the best stats even it means not giving good aid to the students who most need financial aid.</p>
<p>Always check the financial aid part of colleges' web sites to find out how much aid they're able to give.</p>
<p>OP, if your parents make less than 30k, you will have an automatic 0 EFC. This makes you eligible for the highest Pell grant amount, ACG (if you meet the academic requirements), and other federal aid. It doesn't automatically mean you won't have to pay anything - what you will actually have to pay depends on the school, the cost, etc. However, it does put you in a position for decent aid at many schools. The lower the cost of the school, the better your chances of covering costs with aid ... but then sometimes high cost schools end up a great deal for 0 EFC students, too. I assume you have applied already. Hang in there ... you'll see your awards soon enough.</p>