If you are unsure what response the college expects from you for a given question, the best approach is to ask the college directly!
Here’s how I would answer the questions.
- If your family has sufficient savings that you can pay your EFC **for all years** until you get your degree, then you can leave section 8b blank.
Oftentimes, students rely on their parents’ future income to pay their EFC for later years. That’s what goes into section 8b. E.g. you might project that your parent will give you $7,000 in 2020-2021 from earnings between now and then.
- Savings or a credit card would both be good sources of emergency funds.
- The question "What is the total amount of money you expect to have when you arrive at this institution?" is a bit confusing. Some people have interpreted this to mean money that you will have available for personal expenses after you arrive in the US, including money in bank accounts but excluding money earmarked for billed expenses (such as tuition, room, board, health insurance). This would be a good question to ask for clarification about.