Introduction
Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), also called the Student Aid Index (SAI), is an index college financial aid administrators use to determine the type and amount of financial aid you may be eligible to receive at their school.
Question
What is the EFC or SAI on my FAFSA?
Answer
When you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a need analysis is calculated using the federal formula to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or Student Aid Index (SAI). The FAFSA is only an application used to calculate the EFC/SAI based on information you entered and the federal formula that was used.
The EFC/SAI is used to determine your eligibility for need-based and non-need based aid by subtracting the EFC/SAI from the school's cost of attendance (COA). The EFC/SAI does not tell you how much aid you may or may not receive or how much you do or do not pay for college.
Example: COA - EFC/SAI = Need based aid eligibility
Your eligibility for financial aid is limited to your need as determined by the federal formula and you meeting all eligibility requirements. Your financial aid cannot exceed the school's COA.
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