EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (EFC) or PARENTAL CONTRIBUTION

A figure determined by a congressionally mandated formula which indicates how much of a family's resources should be considered "available" for college expenses. Factors such as taxable and nontaxable income and the value of family assets are taken into account to determine a family's financial strength. Allowances for maintaining a family and future financial needs are then taken into consideration before determining how much a family should be able to put toward the cost of college.