Expectations

So you have a student in high school and you want an idea of how much the federal government calculates you should pay for college? The federal government uses a formula based on tax information from student and parent to develop an expected family contribution(EFC). This is the number that college and university financial aid offices use to begin to put together a financial aid package. To find out what your EFC is use one of many tools on the web.

If you have a senior and it is after January 1 then you should fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). But let's say that your student is younger and you really want to know what to expect, then try this relatively new tool that the federal government makes available to forecast your financial aid future. To go a little further in planning use the Student Aid on the Web Wizards. There are a host of tools on this site that will help you as you plan to pay for college.

Go ahead! Take a peek at what you can expect to pay!