<p>“Household” is defined by co-habitation under 1 roof, “family” by kinship.
Income of an estranged father, but not of an unrelated housemate, is counted toward the EFC. So family is what matters for financial aid. Quite a bit of it is available at $50K family income. Not so much at $120K or $150K. </p>
<p>It just doesn’t ring true to define “middle class” (for purposes of this discussion) around a median household income of $50K. That’s not much higher than the average starting salary for a new graduate of one of the schools we’re discussing.</p>