<p>how is financial aid calculated at the Ivy’s? is EFC based on Profile or FASA calculations? Is the FA offer exactly what is calculated or do EFC $ vary based on the student/ applicant?</p>
<p>At the Ivies they use both the Profile and FAFSA to make a financial aid package…just like every other school. The FAFSA calculates your eligibility for federal aid and your family EFC. The Profile is mostly for estimating your parents’ assets (I think…not 100% on this one). The EFC is based on your parents’ income and the number of siblings in college…unless you have siblings who will enter/leave college while you are in school then you can expect your EFC & financial package to remain about the same. You’ll probably get a mixture of loans and grants (if you have a sibling in school). With Harvard and Princeton…your loans are replaced with grant money. Something to think about…</p>
<p>For schools that require FAFSA and CSS the FAFSA is used for calculating federal aid.</p>
<p>CSS is used for the school’s institutional aid. It asks for a lot more information than FAFSA (such as both parents and their spouses financial info where there are divorced parents, value of primary home etc). In most cases it gives a higher EFC but there are cases where the CSS EFC may be lower.</p>