In today's society, the cost of attending college and earning a degree continues to increase, resulting in an increase in students needing financial aid. A determining factor of how much a student receives is dictated by Earned Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is mandated by Congress as part of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that every student must complete in order to apply to college. Steve Cohen, a New York Times contributing editor and author of "A Quick Way to Cut College Costs" believes the EFC is flawed because it doesn't accurately describe how much a family can contribute to the cost of a student's education. Cohen's solution is for Congress and the President to dramatically cut the EFC to realistically reflect the unequal rise in college tuition and median household income. Cohen is very effective at using his research to attract readers. The statistics and figures he uses make his point easier to understand. Steve Cohen shows the disparity between the rising cost of college and a family's ability to afford it. Cohen explains, “Tuition has increased nearly 1,200% over the past 35 years, and the sticker price for many four-year private colleges and out-of-state public universities exceeds $250,000.” Furthermore, he goes on to say that even at public universities it is about $80,000 for four years for tuition and other college-related expenses. Later in his article, Cohen explains how this leaves middle-class families in a very uncomfortable situation. Parents or other money-earning entities in the family want their students to go to college and earn a degree, but there can now be an element of stress in figuring out how tuition will be paid. The rest…half the paper…have skyrocketed in recent years, putting pressure on students to take out loans and risk falling into debt or not attending college at all. If the EFC formula were revised or drastically cut, perhaps the average middle-class family could better cope with tuition costs. Works Cited Cohen, Steve. "A quick way to reduce college costs." The New York Times. The New York Times, March 20, 2014. Web. April 21, 2014."Expected Family Contribution (CEF)." Expected family contribution (CEF). FAFSA.gov, Web. April 21, 2014. Lewin, Tamar. “Higher education may soon become unaffordable for most Americans, report says.” The New York Times. The New York Times, December 2, 2008. Web. April 21, 2014. Supiano, Beckie. “3 Things to Know About Expected Family Contribution and Comments on College Affordability.” The chronicle of education. Attendance count and Web. April 21st. 2014.