Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

A number used by a higher education institution to calculate the amount of federal student aid you are eligible to receive. Your EFC is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college, nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. Instead, it is a measure of your family’s financial strength and is calculated according to a formula established by law. Your family’s taxed and untaxed income, assets, and benefits (such as unemployment or Social Security) are all factored into the formula.