Who Expects the Expected Family Contribution?

Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is an index number used to determine your eligibility for federal student financial aid. This number results from the financial information you provide in your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. That all sounds good, right? Well, maybe not to everyone. The terminology of “expected” implies that the EFC is what the government believes families should be contributing to their children’s education. But no one tells the family they should be saving that exact amount prior to the student’s senior year when he or she completes the application. Therefore, a family with an EFC that can’t be fulfilled may feel inadequate.

So, who exactly expects families to contribute that much? Honestly, no one really. Congress sets these laws that determine the formula used to calculate the EFC but no one specifically takes ownership of it. And yet, the emotional reaction to that number can be one of two things: “Wow, I didn’t save enough for my kid and I should have that much to give them!” or “Wow, I really have failed because I don’t earn enough to even be expected to contribute to my child’s education.” Either way, it is not a fun item to discuss. There are deep cultural values at work here, in her book, Indebted: How Families Make College Work at any Cost, Caitlin Zaloom describes these expectations as “moral tensions.” Providing for your child is a sacred duty to most but do you prioritize saving for their college over your own retirement plans?

Feel the conflict yet? And then, there is the fact that this number is a “contribution” and what is a contribution really? Is it a gift? If so, why is college tuition not fully tax deductible? In essence, our low-income students do not receive enough in grant to meet the rising cost of tuition and our middle-income families make too much to receive almost any aid yet don’t have enough in savings to fit the bill.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Changes to the EFC and overall FAFSA process are coming in future years. Most of these changes will take effect in 2023-2024. Some of those changes include: question simplification, estimated family contribution will now be the Student Aid Index, and verification will significantly decrease.

What is this supposed to mean?

• For students, especially low income, FAFSA will be shorter and simpler to complete
• Pell grant eligibility will be more predictable
• Hopefully, more students become Pell-eligible
• Some of the emotional/ social attachment to the EFC will dissipate

It is time for the expected part of family college planning to change. Who is the government to decide how much each family should put toward their child’s education? Personally, I welcome the student aid index.

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Written by Mallory Essman, Region 3 Next Steps Idaho Ambassador (2021)