The financial aid process is all about assessing what a family can afford to pay for college and trying to fill the gap. To do this, the institutions that offer financial aid examine a family's income and assets to determine how much a family should be expected to contribute before receiving financial aid. Financial aid formulas weigh assets differently, depending on whether they are owned by the parent or the child. So, it's important to know how your college savings plan account or your prepaid tuition plan account will be classified, because this will affect the amount of your child's financial aid award.
A general word about financial aid
Financial aid is money given to a student to help that student pay for college or graduate school. This money can consist of one or more of the following:
• A loan (which must be repaid in the future)
• A grant (which doesn't need to be repaid)
• A scholarship
• A work-study job (where the student gets a part-time job either on campus or in the community and earns money for tuition)
The typical financial aid package contains all of these types of aid. Obviously, grants are more favorable than loans because they don't need to be repaid. However, over the past few decades, the percentage of loans in the average aid package has been steadily increasing, while the percentage of grants has been steadily decreasing. This trend puts into perspective what qualifying for more financial aid can mean. There are no guarantees that a larger financial aid award will consist of favorable grants and scholarships--your child may simply get (and have to pay back) more loans. The two main sources of financial aid are the federal government and colleges. In determining a student's financial need, the federal government uses a formula known as the federal methodology, while colleges use a formula known as the institutional methodology. The treatment of your 529 plan may differ, depending on the formula used.
How is your child's financial need determined?
Though the federal government and colleges use different formulas to assess financial need, the basic process is the same. You and your child fill out a financial aid application by listing your current assets and income (exactly what assets must be listed will depend on the formula used). The federal application is known as the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid); colleges generally use an application known as the PROFILE. Your family's asset and income information is run through a specific formula to determine your expected family contribution (EFC). The EFC represents the amount of money that your family is considered to have available to put toward college costs for that year. The federal government uses its EFC figure in distributing federal aid; a college uses its EFC figure in distributing its own private aid. The difference between your EFC and the cost of attendance (COA) at your child's college equals your child's financial need. The COA generally includes tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. It's important to remember that the amount of your child's financial need will vary, depending on the cost of a particular school. The results of your FAFSA are sent to every college that your child applies to. Every college that accepts a student will then attempt to craft a financial aid package to meet that student's financial need. In addition to the federal EFC figure, the college has its own EFC figure to work with. Eventually, the financial aid administrator will create an aid package made up of loans, grants, scholarships, and work-study jobs. Some of the aid will be from federal programs (e.g., Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, Pell Grant), and the rest will be from the college's own endowment funds. Keep in mind that colleges aren't obligated to meet all of your child's financial need. If they don't, you're responsible for the shortfall.
• Ossining resident Michael Salmon is a Senior Financial Advisor with Ameriprise Financial in Midtown Manhattan. Michael Specializes in Investment Portfolio Management, Retirement Planning Strategies, Estate Planning Strategies,Saving for Education Michael is an active public speaker and financial columnist. You can reach Michael at (646) 964-9470 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
