Tufts EFC>Federal EFC...what difference is considered significant enough?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Tufts University
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<p>So I know in the Tufts FA package, it says "In many cases, the EFC shown on Tufts Financial Aid Notice will be significantly higher than the federal EFC shown on the Student Aid Report from the federal government."</p>

<p>So what's considered too significant that I can rightfully appeal? There is about a $9K difference between my FAFSA EFC and my Tufts EFC. </p>

<p>I am DESPERATE to go to Tufts. It has always been my #1 choice school. Finding out that my FA package would restrict me from going turned the past Monday into one of the worst days of my life. My parents probably can pay for the next four years but not without taking an extremely serious hit to their savings on top of all the student loans my package will force me to take out. My parents aren't retired yet but they probably will in a few years and Tufts expects them to dip into retirement funds too. I also plan on attending grad school, so there'd be even more loans that I would need to take in the future. It just doesn't seem practical for me to attend Tufts even though it is the perfect fit for me.</p>

<p>Should I even bother appealing? :(</p>

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<p>Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Go ahead and call the Financial Aid Office. I’m sure many others are trying to get more money too.</p>

<p>But to be brutally honest, you have only a very slim chance of success. Tufts and all other private schools that use the CSS profile for determining financial need usually come up with EFC’s that are much, much higher than the FAFSA version, because they factor in assets like savings accounts and home equity. They also expect families to contribute a large portion of those assets to their child’s college education.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Fair enough–thanks for your input and your honesty, I appreciate it.
Oh well, bye-bye Tufts.</p>