<p>Are there options if the noncustodial parent will not support the student or provide financial support for college? Ideas and thoughts?</p>
<p>Very few options, other than applying to FAFSA-only schools which do not require non-custodial information. A refusal to pay is generally not looked on favorably. Exceptions are sometimes made if there's been little to no contact with the noncustodial parent, along the lines of "I don't know where my parent is", but if the parent has been paying child support or been involved in the child's life, then there isn't much recourse.</p>
<p>It's no different than if the kid has married parents who say, "Sorry, we're not paying."</p>
<p>However, it never hurts to contact the schools involved and ask them.</p>
<p>Agree with Chedva. It is really sad; the college might be flexible if the noncustodial parent's whereabouts are unknown so financial info can't be supplied, but not if the noncustodial parent just doesn't feel like paying (as if a married couple refused to pay). That is why a lot of bright kids don't go to private college or don't go to college at all.</p>
<p>Thanks, I figured as much. I have heard that there are states that require support for college, just not in one.</p>
<p>In New York a separation agreement or divorce decree can have provisions (its bargained for between the parties); usually a percentage of the cost of the state flagship college at the time the kid goes to college. If both parents went to private colleges and/or are well off there's another index that can be used. But I guess you don't have that or you wouldn't be asking.</p>
<p>Does it change if there is an involved step-parent? (just wondering....)</p>
<p>The only thing that changes is that the step-parent's income and assets are also considered. The non-custodial parent's information is still needed.</p>
<p>So the assumption is that three adults are funding a child w/parents & a step-parent....wow...thanks for that info Chedva (though not good news for us...!).</p>
<p>For FAFSA just custodial parent and his/her spouse, for CSS/Profile the noncustodial parent and I think his/her spouse as well.</p>
<p>hikids, I just wanted to say good luck to you with your situation. We are in the same situation. The child support for my daughter ends when she turns 18</p>
<p>Her father has never seen her or talked to her and the child support is garnished so I have no contact information. Not sure exactly how we are going to handle the situation since most of the schools she is looking at require the Non Custodial Parent information.</p>
<p>In addition if I were to be able to find out where he was, I know for a fact we would not qualify for any financial aid because of his income...even though when she starts college she will no longer be recieving that child support and we would be on our own paying. </p>
<p>Makes the situation a bit more complicated when searching for schools.</p>
<p>My experience, while I can't apply it to anyone elses' is that the FAFSA rules. Spouse of the custodial parent is figured into the FAFSA numbers. The non custodial parent has their own form to fill out for the Profile, and many non profile schools have a non custodial form to fill out instead. At the schools my Ds applied to, financial aid was based on the FAFSA. We were not denied due to the non custodial parent's income. I was very pleasantly surprised, though he is middle income by current standards, not wealthy, and perhaps that helped. </p>
<p>These were LAC in one geographic area, for the most part. Have a good talk with the financial aid office at the schools you are interested in, and explain your situation. They have seen and heard all sorts of scenarios.</p>
<p>Flutemom, definitely speak to financial aid offices. They are allowed to be flexible; it sounds like there isn't any way your daughter could even ask the other parent to fill out a form.</p>
<p>Muffy,
Thanks for the tip. We will definitely speak with the financial aid offices.
I had been kind of down regarding the financial end of things when trying to find schools to recommend my daughter start looking at. Child Support office won't tell us where her father is...Data Privacy.</p>
<p>We are definitly looking at schools that offer good merit aid also. At least that hoping that would be a possiblity, she is ranked 1st in her class, GPA 4.0 and on her practice ACT test she got a 33. She has taken 1 AP test and scored a 5 on that.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the tip.</p>
<p>Flutemom, yours is the kind of case where the colleges will waive the Noncustodial parent form, but you will need to document the fact that you have no contact. The records of your working via the child support office to garnish wages is is one way of doing that -- so definitely get all that paperwork together (whatever correspondence you have had with them) -- and get the fact that they won't reveal the father's address in writing if you don't already have it from them.</p>
<p>Flutemom, unfortunately there is minimal court ordered contact which my D, has never been happy about. So I don't have that situation. I know that that will be considered. However, also in this case the individual earns a good income, but is always in a financial mess and has never believed she should pay anything she owes. Has often skipped out on debts to retailers, lawyers, etc.</p>
<p>calmom, thanks for the input. I will get on the phone to child support next week to get all the paperwork together. I am so glad that I joined in this thread. You all have been so helpful and put my mind at rest</p>
<p>hikids, I guess we have similar situations but yet very different. The garnishment definitly is something that I am glad I have. Since there has never been any contact I know it is not something he would have paid on his own. I hope everything works out for you and you D.</p>
<p>Calmom, if the father's wages are garnished for child support, then someone knows where he is and he is locatable. There has been no contact between father and Flutemom's child all these years by choice. So this is not the usual situation where info from the noncustodial parent is waived by Profile schools. A waiver is only made when no one knows where the noncustodial parent is, right?</p>
<p>I went to a wonderful lecture by a financial aid director; he said to remember that financial aid officers are people with (not high) incomes and families too! While they will not be sympathetic to "but the upkeep on our Porsche and vacation home is so much!" they can be responsive to individual situations. He said making an appointment to see them in person (take off the diamonds) can be a good idea.</p>
<p>I looked at a few colleges' sites--one said that if the noncustodial parent won't fill out the form, they require documentation from a professional (school, church, attorney) verifying why the form couldn't be completed and stating their understanding of the lack of relations between the student and noncustodial parent. Another school said, tell us their name, we'll try to contact them and go from there. Another school said, call your Financial Aid department. </p>
<p>The common thread was the recognition that exceptions are to be made. And I think there is a vast difference in your situation than ones ordinarily contemplated by the profile.</p>
<p>Good luck to you!</p>