What does the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number mean Forum

[Judge Philip Banks]

What does the EFC number that FAFSA gives you after submitting your form online mean? Does anyone know the range of numbers you can receive? Also, how does your loan amount vary from EFC number to EFC number?

[swc65]

Loan amount won't typically vary, because you can borrow to cover your expected family contribution. As for what it means, basically nothing for law school. FAFSA only counts your income because you are in grad school even if you put your parents' income on the sheet. Law schools, however, will count your parents' income, typically.

[Judge Philip Banks]

I know FAFSA doesn't count parental income, but law schools do? Even if parents are not going to contribute anything toward paying for law school or law school-related expenses?

It was weird, because I skipped over the parental information portions of FAFSA when I filled it out, but still received what seems to me to be a high EFC number. I wish I knew what the scale/range was...