<p>Over the summer I helped a friend of mine fill out his FAFSA, he is going to a community college. Here are his details:</p>
<p>His mom's income was $16,800
It is only him and his mom
he didnt work so total income was just that of his mom</p>
<p>He got a EFC of $0.</p>
<p>Im going to begin the same community college on January. I just filled out the FAFSA and was given a $1370 EFC. Here is my details:</p>
<p>Im considered an independent student since im married. My husband is in his last year of his masters in math. I dont work. My husband has a TA which is our only source of income ($15,500).</p>
<p>I got EFC $1370.</p>
<p>Why is this? Household size is the same (2). Our income is $1,300 lower.</p>
<p>Everything seems comparable (family size, income, etc). The only difference is im an independent student. Are independent students expected to provide more? I dont get it. Thanks.</p>
<p>It is because you are an independent student. The EFC calculations are completely different for dependent and independent students. Parents have much higher income and asset protection than independent students, Also a dependent student is eligible for the automatic 0 EFC if the parent income is under $31k and some other criteria are met. Independent students without dependents other than a spouse are not eligible for the automatic 0 EFC.</p>
<p>If you look at how the EFC formula works for independent students you’ll notice it differs quite a bit from parents of dependent students, as swimcatsmom said. You can refer to worksheets/tables labelled B in this doc to get a better understanding:</p>