Ignore my personal situation - think of it as a problem. What is the probability that someone with a higher income will have an EFC that is lower than mine - less than 10% and I am being way too generous. By focusing too much on what is theoretically possible (in minority of cases) I believe we are loosing the bigger picture. When someone says you can go back with evidence of admission to another school - forgive my language skills - is it not a kind of bargaining that is not rooted in any absolute principles. It is SIMILAR to flying - you never know how much the guy next to you paid 