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<p>Almost no school meets need with only grants if need is defined as COA - EFC (whether FAFSA or institutional EFC), since nearly all schools have an expected student contribution (ESC, usually between $4,000 and $10,000). Federal direct loans and/or work study may be offered to cover the ESC.</p>
<p>Of course, most good financial aid schools also use their own definition of EFC and need, not the FAFSA EFC. Most also require non-custodial parent information, so if the non-custodial parent is unwilling to pay or cooperate with financial aid forms, you will not get sufficient financial aid from such a school.</p>
<p>As described above, use the net price calculator at each school to get an estimate. Run it twice, once with current parental income and assets (including both parents), and once assuming your father gets a job (i.e. adding the expected level of income for a job he may get).</p>