EASY EFC™ CALCULATOR
It's Your Key to Federal Financial Aid
The FAFSA®season approaches fast for many families, but you should NEVER complete and submit your FAFSA® without knowing what your EFC is first. Once you commit your financial status on the FAFSA® your opportunity to use strategies to increase financial aid is gone.
Colleges Require it For Their Merit Scholarships
Many colleges will not offer merit scholarships without an estimated EFC calculated from the FAFSA®. These colleges will dictate the amount of their merit offer based on the family’s EFC.
It's Required To Receive Financial Aid
Your EFC is a requirement for almost all need-based financial aid programs. NO college will offer financial aid without an estimated EFC calculated from your FAFSA®.
Colleges Require it in Their Admissions Process
Many colleges base their admissions on the family’s ability to pay the tuition bill as much as the student academic ability. Some colleges will put the student on their WAITING LIST for admissions without an estimated EFC from the FAFSA®application.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is a measure of your family’s financial strength based on a formula established by the Department of Education. The EFC is the minimum amount that colleges will expect your family to pay for a year of college.
The EFC formula calculates your family’s income and assets, along with your family size, and the number of family members who will attend college during the year taken from the FAFSA financial aid application. Your information is calculated using the Department of Education's formula to determine how much financial aid a student is eligible to receive from the colleges.
Both.
Your EFC is just one part of your student’s overall profile. At many colleges the EFC is used in admissions to determine if the family can even afford to attend their college. Furthermore, high-income families also have the ability to negotiate the price of tuition with colleges, but the college will never engage in any price negotiation without knowing the family's EFC first.
Many schools provide parents with the formula and tell them to calculate their EFC. Generally it is a very basic estimate, our EFC calculator is an easy to complete mock run of financial aid application and includes strategy opportunities to lower your family’s EFC. Your school counselors are not financial experts, and it’s doubtful they can provide your family this kind of detail.
YES! You must establish an EFC amount before any colleges can offer the student college grants and scholarships, work-study programs, and even low-interest student loans. So if you don’t want to pay the full sticker price for college, at some point, you will need to complete the FAFSA and have your EFC calculated.
Security is built into everything we do so you can input your information confidently. We safeguard your information by encrypting using SSL encryption.
When you submit your personal and financial information, both you and your Certified College Funding Specialists® will receive your EFC Summary. Your Certified College Funding Specialist® will review your information and come up with suggestions and strategies to reduce costs and develop a college funding plan for your family.
"Bridging the Gap From Wall Street to Main Street"
Allan Katz
Certified College Funding Specialist
4864 Arthur Kill Road
South Entrance #8
Staten Island, NY 10309
(718) 980-3737
