Since my parents were never married, the net price calculator is inaccurate for us as they live in different states and are not together. I live with my mom, and my dad lives on the east coast. I’ve already filed my FAFSA, so now I’m moving on to the CSS profile.
Whenever I use the net price calculator and combine their income together, most give an estimate of $20k that we’d have to pay out of pocket. Their income is around $100k if added together this way.
Whenever I run my parent’s financials separately, the cost of attendance is drastically reduced…almost to 10k as my EFC (from my mom’s income) for the FAFSA is around 3000. With my dad’s income, his efc is around $8k as he makes $70k.
The calculators on the website say to run both incomes separately as they have separate taxes, households, etc. and then to add the costs together to see what I’ll have to pay. Is the 10k cost of attendance closer to what I’ll have to pay?
My mom can afford $10k if that’s accurate, but not the 19k if our incomes are ruled together. I’ve already applied to financial safeties, but I wanted to see which situation is the most accurate as two of my schools require the non-custodial CSS form.
Financial aid offices that require the CSS profile operate under the presumption that both parents will contribute to their child’s education. Closer to the 20K will be the price at those schools.
FAFSA only schools seem to be your only option as they do not consider non-custodial parents.
The FAFSA EFC for your mom only gives you a Pell Grant Of $3000 or so, plus any state aid that you might be eligible for with her lower income. Since you are from southern CA, you would be eligible for the CalGrant, right?
Really, the net price calculators are not going to be particularly accurate for you. View them as an estimate only.
Are you applying to colleges that guarantee to meet full need for all? I see you applied to Barnard…the school does meet full need…but in addition to the costs to attend, you need to also add Coast to Coast travel costs…and those can really add up.
Will your dad be contributing anything towards your college costs?
In addition to whatever Profile schools…did you apply to any of the many California public universities?
Did you apply anywhere where you might have been considered for significant merit aid?
I think you should just wait and see if your aid is forthcoming in the amount you need. BUT you need to be prepared to walk away from ANY unaffordable college.
HUGE DISCLAIMER: I am not a financial aid officer, just a student who has navigates financial aid with divorced parents and parents who refused to pay for school. For absolute confirmation, I’d say call Barnard financial aid and explain the situation. Or send an email with all the details so they can process and respond appropriately.
Honestly, in cases of split parents/never married/not living together, etc It gets pretty confusing. My parents are divorced but as they are both still in my life, both of their incomes are considered in it. I guess the situation here is whether or not your father is in your life; he lives on the east coast, but if you have an ongoing relationship where he still supports you financially, I believe that they would probably consider both incomes. I’ve only heard people being exempt from that when they literally have like no idea where their parent is or haven’t had contact for years and stuff. But again, I could have no idea what I’m talking about and I don’t want to steer you the wrong way.
If this student’s parents relocate to a state other than CA, how will this affect Calgrant in the future, as well as instate tuition status?
It sounds like your dad has some significant income that would increase your family contribution at colleges where the non-custodial parent info is considered for determining institutional need based aid…
I think the only thing to do is…apply and see what your aid is…but be prepared to walk away from any college that is not affordable.
@SuperBigMusicLover and @thumper1: If a student attends a California HS for at least 3 years, graduates with a CA HS diploma and enters a UC/CSU university, they are considered an in-state CA resident for tuition purposes all the years attending that university.
Since they are considered a CA resident, then the Cal grants should be available. I would contact all the schools financial aid office to make sure.
Together, they make $100k as he makes $70k of it, so I would still qualify for some hefty aid.
With that being said, I can only use my Cal Grant at a California college, and due to extenuating circumstances, would prefer to relocate out of state.
Edit: for Barnard at least, I applied one of their opportunity programs where if admitted, my financial aid package will be slightly better. Fingers crossed, but if it doesn’t work out, I have other schools to fall back on!
Also, not sure if I was clear or not but when I say 10k versus 20k, I’m referring not to what I’ll pay without my dad, but rather if their income is added together or looked at separately. This situation would result in my family paying 20k off of a 100k income or close to nothing based off of my fafsa and $9k from my dad’s salary of 70k (with another child)
For those Profile schools…FORGET about the FAFSA EFC. That is NOT what those schools use to compute institutional need based aid awards. They use the info from the Profile.
Your mom’s lower income seems to indicate you might get part of the Pell Grant, and are eligible for the Calgrant. And federally funded loans.
For the Profile schools asking for your non-custodial parent income…those schools will likely use that non-custodial parent income information.
Their incomes will not be added together but each considered as part of a whole. If one makes $99k and the other $1, it is not the same as if each makes $50k, or if you all lived together and make $100k. They realize there are two households sharing that income and two utility bills, two food bills, two rent payments.
It is hard to figure it out, but call the school and ask if they can help you figure it out just so you know if it is in any way affordable.
Okay, thank you everyone! I’m Pell Grant eligible, and will be using the Federal loans that we were given from the fafsa. I still have to complete the profile, so I’ll just see how it works out.
@twoinanddone This is great news if this is how it’s done!
I’ll call the school and ask directly for confirmation
You will receive your Pell Grant no matter where you go. It’s likely that this will be one component of your need based aid award from the school. That varies by school. But yes, you will get the Pell.
In any event, you can’t receive need based aid in excess of the cost of attendance.
For opportunity programs (HEOP/BOP) you have to be both educationally and academically disadvantaged.
You will not be financially eligible for the opportunity program because opportunity programs uses the income and assets of both parents unless you are approved for a waiver (which is unlikely).
@sybbie719 for out of state students for the BOP program, the economic guidelines are not the same as HEOP. I have to demonstrate significant financial need which is possible as I qualify for a 50k+ grant from the college.
