FAFSA EFC
The FAFSA EFC score determines how much you are expected to contribute towards you education. Your EFC score, which is also known as your Expected Family Contribution, is determined based on the family’s financial situation and cost of attendance information given within the FAFSA application that you submit. Anyone that completes the FAFSA or Free Application for Financial Student Aid application will receive an EFC score. This EFC score will determine if you qualify for federal financial aid assistance, which can be used for all post-secondary educational school expenses.
Students will automatically receive an EFC once they complete and submit their FAFSA Application. Your score is a measure of your family’s financial strength based on your family’s income, family size, and the cost of attendance. Your EFC is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. It is a number used by your school to calculate the amount of federal student aid you are eligible to receive.
The FAFSA EFC score determines how much you are expected to contribute towards you education. Your EFC score, which is also known as your Expected Family Contribution, is determined based on the family’s financial situation and cost of attendance information given within the FAFSA application that you submit. Anyone that completes the FAFSA or Free Application for Financial Student Aid application will receive an EFC score. This EFC score will determine if you qualify for federal financial aid assistance, which can be used for all post-secondary educational school expenses.
Students will automatically receive an EFC once they complete and submit their FAFSA Application. Your score is a measure of your family’s financial strength based on your family’s income, family size, and the cost of attendance. Your EFC is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. It is a number used by your school to calculate the amount of federal student aid you are eligible to receive.
The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is calculated according to a formula established by law. Your family's taxed and untaxed income, assets, and benefits (such as unemployment or Social Security) are all considered in the formula. Also considered are your family size and the number of family members who will attend college or career school during the year.
The EFC score is used to determine the need for aid from the following types of federal student financial assistance:
1. Federal Pell Grants, Academic,
2. Competitiveness Grants (ACGs),
3. National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grants (National SMART Grants).
4. Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants (TEACH Grants)
5. Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans (through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan [DL] Program or through the Federal Family Education Loan [FFEL] Program)
6. “Campus-based” programs-
+ Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs)
+ Federal Perkins Loans
+ Federal Work-Study (FWS)
The EFC score is used to determine the need for aid from the following types of federal student financial assistance:
1. Federal Pell Grants, Academic,
2. Competitiveness Grants (ACGs),
3. National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grants (National SMART Grants).
4. Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants (TEACH Grants)
5. Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans (through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan [DL] Program or through the Federal Family Education Loan [FFEL] Program)
6. “Campus-based” programs-
+ Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs)
+ Federal Perkins Loans
+ Federal Work-Study (FWS)
All data used to calculate a student’s EFC comes from the information the student provides in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). After the FAFSA has been processed, your school will send an output document containing your results. This document, which can be paper or electronic, is called a Student Aid Report (SAR).
The SAR lists all the information from the student’s application and indicates whether or not the application was complete and signed. The SAR will include the student’s EFC score if the application is complete, signed and has no data conflicts. Students are instructed to carefully check the information on the SAR to ensure its accuracy. All schools listed on the student’s FAFSA receive application information and processing results in an electronic file called an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR).
The SAR lists all the information from the student’s application and indicates whether or not the application was complete and signed. The SAR will include the student’s EFC score if the application is complete, signed and has no data conflicts. Students are instructed to carefully check the information on the SAR to ensure its accuracy. All schools listed on the student’s FAFSA receive application information and processing results in an electronic file called an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR).
The EFC score ranges from 0 to 9999. The lower an EFC score, the better your chances are that you will receive federal student aid. Students that have an EFC score of 0 will receive the maximum student aid amounts from federal student grants, loans, and work study. An EFC score of 0 means that the student and student’s family are not able to contribute towards their education.
The FAFSA application must be completed and submitted before the deadline in order to receive an EFC score. The application can be completed either online or paper. If you complete your FAFSA application online then you will need a FAFSA PIN, which is your online identity. Students that do not have a FAFSA PIN must request one if they are completing the FAFSA online for the first time. Students that have forgotten their FAFSA PIN must also request a retrieval, which may take 3-5 days to receive. All FAFSA PIN Retrievals are sent through regular mail and cannot be received through e-mail.
FAFSA EFC | FAFSA Application | FAFSA PIN | Student Aid Eligibility | Student Aid Report |
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The FAFSA application must be completed and submitted before the deadline in order to receive an EFC score. The application can be completed either online or paper. If you complete your FAFSA application online then you will need a FAFSA PIN, which is your online identity. Students that do not have a FAFSA PIN must request one if they are completing the FAFSA online for the first time. Students that have forgotten their FAFSA PIN must also request a retrieval, which may take 3-5 days to receive. All FAFSA PIN Retrievals are sent through regular mail and cannot be received through e-mail.
FAFSA EFC | FAFSA Application | FAFSA PIN | Student Aid Eligibility | Student Aid Report |
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