Here is the calculation used by all U.S. colleges & universities:
COA - EFC = DN
Cost of Attendance minus Expected Family Contribution equals Demonstrated Need
Cost of Attendance (COA)
All colleges are required to calculate their estimated cost of attendance & have the information readily available. You can generally find it on a school’s Financial Aid page, or on sites such as
Naviance,
Big Future, or
College Data.
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
Expected Family Contribution is an amount officially determined by filling out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and possibly the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE (depending on the school’s requirements). However, there are calculators that will closely estimate your EFC, such as
this one. See Fairview's
FAFSA and CSS PROFILE page for more information.
Demonstrated Need (DN)
Often times, Demonstrated Need will be met in a Financial Aid package from the college, which may include:
Scholarships and Grants
Need or merit-based awards from federal, state, school or other sources that do not need to be paid back
Paying jobs provided by school
Federally backed student loans
Unfortunately, not all schools are able to meet 100% of a student's Demonstrated Need. This may be an important factor when choosing which schools to apply to. You can learn whether a certain school will meet a student's Demonstrated Need by looking at its profile on sites such as
Big Future, or
College Data.