“The idea is that the university knows you well enough to expect something from you,” said Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of sociology and medicine at Temple University and author of the award: college fees, financial aid and the betrayal of the American dream. ‘You get these words very early in the relationship, and they do not know you at all. It does not build trust. ”
Then comes the kicker: The expectation may be just the beginning. “A college often expects students to pay more than the EFC,” said Robert Kelchen, associate professor of higher education at Seton Hall University and author of Higher Education Accountability.
Everyone in the family
For students applying for a university directly from high school, the ‘family’ in the EFC usually means parents, as it is almost impossible for students to work through the university within a reasonable period of time.
But the EFC does not provide for families where the parent or parents believe that a child should try to fetch it. Or when parents look askance at higher education because they see no value in it, and then decide not to help. Or when students have an obligation to help parents, even (or especially) when parents cannot help them.
Alienation complicates things too. “With LGBTQ students, people really start to understand the problem right away,” Dr. Goldrick-Rab said. “What is the family like now when a 19-year-old comes out and is cut off?”
The EFC also does not provide for extended families and obligations to aging parents, aunts, brothers or chosen family.
“It denies any responsibility that may be elsewhere,” said Dr. Zaloom said.
And contributions ?!
By drafting the final word of the EFC in the language of charity, the federal financial aid system is trying to soften the blow. Sure, powerful forces make demands on parents, whether they like it or not, but at least it’s a kind of gift. Right?