You can run the FAFSA Forecaster for a vague idea of family contribution, per the feds Or the longer Ifap formula. Both came very close to what the colleges felt we should pay.
But it still rests on an individual college. I mentioned Grinnell because, anecdotally, their offer was so much lower than others, yet their endowment is so high.
Also anecdote, D1 got virtually the same FA from each RD school. A bit unheard of. The NPC wasnt available, back then.
There are some CC posters who believe the better your match, the better FA might be, even at a Meet Full Need only college. Might. I had seen those comments just before my first applied. We focused intently on real “match.” Except for merit opps, that’s more than stats. It’s the holistic match with their philosophy, offerings, the nature of empowerment you show, challenges taken on, and successes they look for, in the kid’s record and writing.
That’s harder to figure. But for top performing kids, vital to an admit, in the first place.
If you’re looking for merit, it’s a different question.