Expected Family Contribution
EFC stands for Expected Family Contribution. Your EFC is based on the information you provide on the FAFSA about your family income and assets, family size, and number of students in college. Colleges subtract your EFC from the cost of attendance to decide how much financial aid you can receive.
This chart shows how three colleges might assess a student's financial need.
| College A | College B | College C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of Attendance (COA) | $40,000 | $21,000 | $10,000 |
| – Expected Family Contribution (EFC) | (14,000) | (14,000) | (10,000) |
| = Financial Need | $26,000 | $7,000 | $0 |
