Study shows that middle class parents are paying the least for college

I’m not buying it. Maybe they’re paying $10,000/year not including loans? Is this just tuition? Are they counting work study as an award and not a contribution?

According to the Pew Research quoted by kelsmom, my family’s AGI is “middle-income” and yet our EFC at most schools is a staggering 40% of our AGI, making it unrealistic/unaffordable.