You definitely have to qualify for grants, but many more qualify than expect to. Even if the EFC seems high, it is worth pursuing. I tell families that the only foolish thing you can do with financial aid is to fail to apply to colleges because you assume you won’t qualify. It is easier now to qualify than ever before, unless you are truly wealthy. There are countless programs and options available–it just takes work to find them and apply.

As I mentioned in the last post, you often stand a better chance of getting a good aid package from a private school. In addition, you may want to look at the Benjamin Kaplan book I linked to in the body of the post for ideas on paying for college. Just remember, there is more than one way to do college, so if your student needs a degree (not everyone does), there will be a way. Best wishes to your student!