Skip to main content

Financial Need


All funds from federal financial aid programs administered by the Office of Financial Aid are awarded on the basis of financial need, with the exception of the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Federal Direct PLUS (Parent) Loan.

When the student applies for federal student aid, the information that is reported on the FAFSA is used in a formula, established by the U. S. Dept. of Education and approved by the U.S. Congress, that calculates the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), the amount that the student and the student’s family are expected to contribute toward the student’s education.

There is not a maximum EFC that defines eligibility for the other financial aid programs. Instead, the EFC is used in an equation to determine financial need:

 

Cost of Attendance

 

- Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

 

= Financial Need

The Financial Aid Office subtracts the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the Cost of Attendance. The remainder is the student’s financial need. In determining the student’s need for aid from the federal financial aid programs, the Financial Aid Office must first consider other aid the student is expected to receive.