<p>Curmudgeon's experience is the same as mine. My Federal EFC was about $3K more than my Institutional EFC. My second son applied to a number of 100% financial need schools. These offers varied by $5K in the amount of need based aid provided in direct grants and by a few $K more in the need based self help aid, i.e. work-study, Perkins, etc.</p>
<p>Additionally, my older son, who had some merit aid in his previous packages continued to get the same amount of merit aid. He recieved a need based grant equal to his brother. His school also provides for 100% of financial need. When you put his merit and need based aid together it varies from my second sons aid by $8K.</p>
<p>So, at the end of the day, I am as confused as ever by the financial aid formulas used by the schools. Most of the posts on CC are about the competitiveness to get in to schools leading to the increase in the number of applications. I have come to believe that the explosion in applications is to compare FA offers because it appears to be so random.</p>
<p>I feel a bit like a broken record but I see no reason why the increase in cost of education continues to far outpace the rate of inflation and has for a long long time. While that continues I expect that applications will continue to increase.</p>