Many colleges define “EFC” and “need” in ways different from the FAFSA calculation for SAI (EFC). An obvious example is that FAFSA considers only the custodial parent finances, but many colleges that claim to “meet full need” define “EFC” based on both parent finances for divorced parents. When the non-custodial parent has significant income or assets, the college’s EFC will likely be significantly higher than the SAI (EFC) calculated from FAFSA, so the college’s definition of “need” will be lower than if it just used FAFSA SAI (EFC) as the EFC to determine “need”.
Non-California residents generally won’t get any need-based financial aid at California publics.