<p>What does one do when a financial aid office uses random figures from income tax returns to increase the parent’s assets, thereby lowering the student’s need? They manipulate numbers to achieve a desired outcome which is always in their favor, not the student’s.</p>
<p>Do they use a service like FAFSA or CSS profile>? Again, people need to look at schools records for aid, whether they are use a blind need based aid admissions and do that before they have their kids apply. The formulas that FAFSA and CSS are online, you can get an estimated report for your child to see where you might end up when you do apply. Some schools have good records adn meet 100% of demonstrated need. Others are much much less. Kiplinger and I think fortune rank schools as best deals in education… I will say no matter how much the school says your efc is most parents dont’ think they can do that…but it is a matter of change of lifestyle and priorities while your kid is in school. It never ceases to amaze me that parents who own a house, and a lake or beach house, drive new cars, live in very nice big houses etc. say they can’t afford what the college says they should pay. Am I missing something???</p>
<p>what do you mean " random" numbers?</p>
<p>The numbers from your tax return aren’t " random" I hope. ;)</p>
<p>What does one do? One goes to a different school.</p>
<p>Please remember that, except for a few select federal grant/loan programs, financial aid offices are distributing a college’s own funds. They are under no obligation to calculate the EFC in the manner you would like, or even in the manner you deem fair. They are entitled to spend their money in any way they see fit, and if that means the school is too expensive for you, that’s your decision.</p>
<p>It’s not a competition between the student and the school. The school is going to give out a certain amount of financial aid so they’re not saving money somehow by not giving certain people financial aid. There is no “gotcha.”</p>