EFC
Expected Family Contribution. The legacy term for what families were expected to pay annually toward college, now replaced by SAI.
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) was the FAFSA-calculated dollar figure that represented what a family was expected to pay toward a year of college. Subtracting EFC from the cost of attendance produced the family's demonstrated financial need.
Beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA, EFC was replaced by the Student Aid Index (SAI). The methodology changed in several ways, including how multiple children in college are treated and how small-business income is handled. Most online aid calculators and older articles still reference EFC; current numbers families see today are SAI numbers.
For parents, the takeaway is that EFC and SAI serve the same purpose but produce slightly different values. Always run a school's current Net Price Calculator to get a personalized estimate based on the new SAI methodology rather than relying on older rules of thumb.
Related terms
View all terms- SAIStudent Aid Index. The current FAFSA-calculated number used to determine federal and most institutional financial aid eligibility.
- FAFSAThe Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The main form for federal grants, loans, and most state and institutional aid in the U.S.
- CSS ProfileA supplementary aid form used by ~250 selective colleges to award their own institutional aid. Goes beyond FAFSA in detail.
- Pell GrantA federal need-based grant for undergraduate students that does not need to be repaid. Maximum award rises annually with inflation.
- Net PriceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships, as opposed to the published sticker price. The number that should drive budgeting decisions.