<p>Is it detrimental to put too low a number in the family contribution field on the Profile?</p>
<p>Kalman Chany of “Paying for College without Going Broke” (Princeton Review) has always advised to calculate your IM (Institutional Methodology) and then deduct 20%! </p>
<p>You can calculate your IM EFC on the Collegeboard website calculator. </p>
<p>He has noted that sometimes if you make that number too high, the school may hold you to that number! (maybe the school is looking for “uneducated consumers”). </p>
<p>Certainly do not enter “Zero”. Hope this helps you out!</p>
<p>I filed out the Profile very early in this game and put 1/4 of our 529/coverdell savings which is less than the EFC when I calculated it through the college board and fafsaforcaster. Then I got the official EFC and it was a WHOLE lot less. I also wrote in the section for explaining stuff on the profile what that number represented (1/4 of the savings). Don’t know if that will mean anything, as it seems these schools calculate fin aid any way they want.</p>
<p>My concern is with schools that are not completely need blind, such as WashU. If we put in a low ball number will they automatically not accept my daughter or will they consider all submitted financials?</p>