To clarify, EFC from FAFSA is not what matters. The estimate from the college's own Net Price Calculator is what you need to determine affordability.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought I heard they can' task for more than a certain percentage about the EFC amount, so you should be able to know in advance if you can pay. ED is affirmative action for the financially comfortable. A lot of families can't afford to commit without being able to compare offers.

EFC is nearly full pay for most making a living wage.

No it's not. We make $130K/yr (family of four, one in college) and our EFC is ~$30K. So, full pay for in-state, I guess.

Anonymous wrote:I thought I heard they can' task for more than a certain percentage about the EFC amount, so you should be able to know in advance if you can pay. ED is affirmative action for the financially comfortable. A lot of families can't afford to commit without being able to compare offers.

EFC is nearly full pay for most making a living wage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So u can just say you are not accepting the offer because you cant pay ?

It's not as simple as that. They get to decide if you can pay or not. Try the EFC calculator on the college's site. That should tell you what their expectation is of what you need to pay.

This.

I thought I heard they can' task for more than a certain percentage about the EFC amount, so you should be able to know in advance if you can pay. ED is affirmative action for the financially comfortable. A lot of families can't afford to commit without being able to compare offers.

Anonymous wrote:So u can just say you are not accepting the offer because you cant pay ?

It's not as simple as that. They get to decide if you can pay or not. Try the EFC calculator on the college's site. That should tell you what their expectation is of what you need to pay.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. So basically you can apply ED to a bunch of schools and then pick the best one and tell the other schools you can’t pay? I wonder how many people do that!

No you can only apply ED to one school. You, your parents and your counselor have to sign a pledge that it’s only one ED app (counselor won’t send your info to more than one ED school, which is marked on your app). When you are accepted, you have to pull any EA or RD apps you still have out there. If you can’t afford the ED school you should work with the FA office to make it clear why you can’t afford it. Sometimes they will find more money.

Wow. So basically you can apply ED to a bunch of schools and then pick the best one and tell the other schools you can’t pay? I wonder how many people do that!

Anonymous wrote:So u can just say you are not accepting the offer because you cant pay ?

Yes it is a huge loophole.

So u can just say you are not accepting the offer because you cant pay ?

That’s just about the only reason for not enrolling after an ED acceptance.

What are your options if you are admitted ED but can’t pay?