<p>In general and w/o special circumstances, is it normal for your expected family contribution to change by say, 5000, the year after? Or is it usually stable?</p>
<p>If your financial condition remains stable, then the EFC will likely be stable. If the student has assets that have figured in the EFC, then the EFC could go down if those assets are lower or depleted.</p>
<p>E.g., if the student had $20K in assets, that could have increased the EFC by $7K; if the $20K was used up to pay tuition and costs, then that asset wouldn't be on the FAFSA and hence next year's EFC would be lower.</p>
<p>If the college uses their own formula to calculate the EFC, one might see greater variations; in general, though, it should be consistent.</p>
<p>What if a parent buys a new car -- not expensive -- $15,000-$20,000 range. How much will the EFC go up?</p>
<p>Some colleges do look at the cars you buy . . .it is a special question on the Profile which colleges may ask, but do not always. For instance, I had to tell Rhodes all about my (old) cars. That might make some difference in your EFC to the detriment of your aid. However, if you signifcantly reduce your assets to buy the car (big down payment or pay cash) you may reduce your EFC somewhat, as you will have less cash to pay for college.</p>