sentences:  In cases in which a student qualifies for merit-based (rather than need-based) financial aid, the student and their family may pay less than the EFC.A well-to-do family's EFC may exceed the cost of attendance at a school, and in that case the student does not have financial need, as defined by the federal financial aid system.In some cases, despite financial hardship for the student, the student's family will simply be unwilling to pay the full amount, leaving the student to find their own way to finance their college education, or forgo it.