<p>that is true -- the FA office can make changes, but they have to be based on documented evidence (either to raise or lower the EFC). For instance, my EFC was $0 this year (when I filed) but I apparently entered some numbers on worksheet A incorrectly. When the FA office compared my verification paperwork to what I had filed on the FAFSA, they corrected the mistake and my EFC increased to $578. I don't consider this "tweaking" and the federal EFC should be the same at all schools.</p>
<p>As a Financial Aid Counselor, I would suggest you review the information on your FAFSA...and all corrections subsequently made by other schools. A school is prohibited from making changes to the FAFSA without having documentation to justify the changes. Even if you won't be attending this school, you do want to make sure that the changes made by the other institution were correct changes. If you do not understand the changes, contact their financial aid office and demand an explanation, so this doesn't happen again. Once the information on the FAFSA has been deemed correct, your Federal EFC would be the same regardless of the school. Sometimes, this will require having to submit verification documents to the other schools....but each school must process aid based on the correct EFC.</p>