Horrible USC Financial Aid Package

alamemom
Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:00:05 +0000

My fafsa efc is around 18k, while my CSS profile is 34k. USC says my efc is 50k? Very confused

-The FAFSA gives an EFC
-The CSS/Profile does not give an EFC - where are you getting the $34k figure?
-USC uses the CSS/Profile and their own formula to calculate your USC-determined need. The estimating method I suggest here is just to get a rough idea of how much your family may be expected to contribute. Take your FAFSA EFC and add about 5.6% of assets not reported on the FAFSA like home equity. If you have run a CSS/Profile institutional method calculator to come up with the $34k, that is another good method of estimating your family contribution at a Profile school. You would not add your FAFSA EFC to that number, as those figures are already included in that estimate.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: These estimates just give you a general idea of your contribution! The FAFSA and CSS/Profile contain pages and pages (and pages) of information that go into calculating your need, so for any given individual these estimates may not apply. If you have questions about how USC calculated your need or feel there may have been errors, contact USC financial aid. Email is usually the best way fao@usc.edu It will take at least two to three days for a response. **