<p>I'll try to be brief;
DD lives with myself and her step father 10 yrs.
Step father tried to adopt her but father would not allow
I am a homemaker and have no income
Step father makes approx. 400k
Step father pays for all her support/needs
Birth father supposed to pay child support but doesn't
Birth father hasn't filed income tax in many many years
Birth father has no money
Birth father feels no responsibility to DD
DD, myself, stepfather file income tax together
DD lives 12 months per yr with us
Step dad has serious illlness and future earnings unsure</p>
<p>DD wants to attend a private University[cost approx 48k total]. She has fabulous grades/scores. When applying for aid how will this wash? Is step dad who has supported DD but been denied legal gardianship expected to pay? That seems unfair. Someone please clarify. Thanks.</p>
<p>FAFSA requires the financial information of the custodial parent and spouse.</p>
<p>CSS profile (which most private schools require) requires the financial information of the custodial parent and spouse and the birth father and spouse (if there is one).</p>
<p>Whether the stepdad has adopted a child or whether he is or is not willing to contribute is not relevant for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>The fact that your husband was not allowed to adopt your daughter is sad but is a separate issue and nothing to do with financial aid. If you and he had just got married yesterday and he just met your daughter today his income and assets would still be considered available for financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>I still have the issue of no financial info on the birth father. He is not cooperative. When we discussed the issue he told me he doesn't file income tax b/c he feels he doesn't earn enough to pay. [I do not support this behavior....he is the EX husband ,I'm Just explaining the situation]. Does that mean aid is unavaiable to her?</p>
<p>If stepfather makes $400K there's no way D gets federal need-based financial aid, and institutional need-based aid is also extremely unlikely at that income level even if future earnings are uncertain (as they are for just about everyone). Merit aid may be available at some schools.</p>
<p>Well to be quite honest with $400k income I doubt that she will get aid anyway. For FAFSA filers who (genuinely) do not earn enough to file taxes can still file FAFSA and can mark that they do not file. I would think the same applies to CSS (don't know for a fact as my daughter's school is FAFSA only).</p>
<p>Thank you for the insight. My current husband and I will support our daughter in any way possible. Things being what they are for my family [due to illness] some aid would have been very helpful. We will find a way to send her where she feels at home. Thanks again!</p>
<p>Look at some of sticky notes at the top of this forum. There are some excellent schools that offer merit aid. If your DD has good scores and grades then she could qualify for some good merit scholarships.</p>
<p>Financial Aid is based on previous year's income and assets at the time of filing. If your current husband were to lose his job, your D may qualify for some aid at a future date. Current income is more heavily assessed than assets.</p>
<p>Many excellent schools also award Merit aid which does not have a financial aid component -- that may be something you want to look at.</p>
<p>Our household income is a fraction of yours, and we knew we wouldn't qualify for much in the way of need based aid (you almost certainly will not). My D applied to several schools where she was able to get great merit scholarships. If a school is $45k/year, and you would have to pay it all, then a $15k/year scholarship begins to look very attractive. It's one of the best ways for an upper middle class student to get financial assistance.</p>
<p>US News has a list of the 100 schools where the most students receive merit aid: colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/most-merit-aid</p>
<p>This list doesn't say anything about the amounts the students receive; it just means that lots of students on these campuses get merit awards, so there is a good chance your daughter would too. With her fabulous academic profile, she could also probably get merit awards at schools where they aren't offered to as many students.</p>
<p>I made a handout for my kids' school that adds to the US News list a column showing the size of the average award. I don't have a way to post a PDF, but here are a few of the schools on the list where the award amounts are nice and high: Denison, Hampden-Sydney, Seton Hall, DePauw, Kalamazoo, Birmingham-Southern, Rhodes, Hendrix, Randolph-Macon, Berry, College of Wooster, Millsaps, Ohio Wesleyan, Centre, Loyola (New Orleans), Albion, Tulane, Grinnell.</p>
<p>You can check the College Board web site to find the average merit aid award size at any particular college you're interested in.</p>
<p>Wow! So much helpful advice. Thank you! I will have some free time this afternoon and will look into the suggestions. The top two schools of choice thus far are Wake Forest and Rollins College [Fl.]. We visit/interview WF mid September. We are considering early admission. Since we don't qualify for aid and the cost of these schools is much the same, we may as well apply early if she is still as excited after the visit. Thanks again. I really appreciate the help.</p>
<p>Looking quickly through WF's and Rollins' FA websites, it looks like merit aid at WF is harder to get than at Rollins: WF gives fewer scholarships, which tend to be full rides (tuition, room and board) while Rollins tends to give a larger number of scholarships, mostly in the 12-15K/yr range. Merit aid at Rollins is more numbers-driven. At WF, the student must be at the top of the pool and then compete for the scholarship.</p>
<p>If money is an issue, D should not apply ED to either school, but especially not to WF, where it seems like merit aid is not a sure bet for any applicant.</p>
<p>To maximize merit aid, D should apply EA or RD to a half dozen schools that she would like to attend, including the two already on her list. Then compare admissions offers taking into account fit, academic quality and financial aid offered.</p>
<p>I believe Case and U of Richmond are other schools that give good aid. Subscribe to the online college site of US News and World Report ($15 for the year) and look through the financial aid info carefully.</p>