<p>You can plug estimates based on last year’s taxes into the EFC calculators. Unless things changed dramatically, that would be a good starting point. It is hard to answer your question without more info, like your income, your savings, parents savings and investments, unusual circumstances such as high medical bills or anticipated change in income (up or down), unemployment, etc. High debt, such as credit cards or auto loans, does not usually affect EFC. There is an EFC calculator available on the collegeboard Web site as well as at [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml). They will calculate using both institutional and Federal methodologies.</p>