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<p>As I said in my post above, Brown will give that breakdown if requested by the student.</p>
<p>You’re correct, USC is a Profile school that does not request non-custodial parent information.</p>
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<p>Some schools actually do this…as noted Brown is one. </p>
<p>The reality is that there are 300 schools that use the Profile and a gaggle more that have their own form which asks for parent info. No one here can say with certainty HOW the NCP information is used. Very likely it is different from school to school…which is one reason that the aid even from schools that meet full need can vary by thousands of dollars.</p>
<p>Also…this may no be a popular opinion but I’ll express it anyway. What difference does it make if the parents are divorced or not when the Profile asks for information. They are STILL the kiddo’s parents. The schools that use NCP information rightfully expect that BOTH PARENTS regardless of marital status will support their children. I don’t see any difference here between married parents who have different incomes. Should I receive a bill and my husband a separate one from the university for our “shares” of the family contribution? I don’t think so!! And I don’t think divorced or separated parents should either.</p>
<p>A previous poster said that colleges seem to weight the custodial income more so than the non-custodial’s. Has anyone else found this to be true?</p>
<p>vballmom
WRONG. USC requested the non custodial party paperwork. And I am right now completing requested “additional” info for USC, after all paperwork has been done on time (by 3-1-11). They do request info from the other parent, and they ask me now in the 2nd round, for his peronal data including address and employer, remarried? to who? income? court orders on child support? monthly amount? total yearly amount? here this: attach court order documentation (mine is 60 pages!!!) including assets division. “If you answer “not known” to any Q, you must attach verification letter from minister, attorney, social worker,…”
And then it says: it is strongly suggested that this be done online to have higher chances of obtaining financial aid.
Furthermore:
“USC will determine an expected contribution for custodial parent, non-custodial parent, and stepparent, as appropriate. To determine this contribution we may ask the student to submit each parent’s 2010 federal tax return”</p>
<p>Thunper1
Brown may give you a breakdown, but will not show it in statements, or in any way that facilitates that division/calculation for the parents.
I have a D in Brown. Non-custodial parent earns around 120,000 (not combined w/wife that I estimate around 200,000!) He refuses to support as he should, so D is always struggling to get something from him. I earn 45,000, w/a senior applying now…
There is nothing in statements/billing that says “parent1, this is your part, parent 2, you still owe…” When there is $ missing, as custodial parent, I get the statements!!!</p>
<p>*What difference does it make if the parents are divorced or not when the Profile asks for information. They are STILL the kiddo’s parents. The schools that use NCP information rightfully expect that BOTH PARENTS regardless of marital status will support their children. I don’t see any difference here between married parents who have different incomes. Should I receive a bill and my husband a separate one from the university for our “shares” of the family contribution? I don’t think so!! And I don’t think divorced or separated parents should either. *</p>
<p>there are several reasons why a divorced situation is much different from a still-married situation. When married parents have a child in college and there are college bills, the jointly married parents are expected to pay out of joint funds. And, married parents know how much each earns and has in assets, so married parents know what’s been submitted to CSS. It would make no sense to split the bill for married folks…(a waitress doesn’t split the bill for a married couple who goes out to eat. LOL) </p>
<p>When parents are divorced, it’s a whole different ballgame. First of all, each “family” doesn’t know the assets/income of the other family. So, if only one big “family contribution” is given, it can be hard to decide a fair way to split the amount without directly being req’d to reveal private info. It’s often not fair to simply split the bill 50/50…yet that is what sometimes happens. </p>
<p>Since the school is the only one who sees each family’s income/assets/situation , it would make sense for the school to be able to say…Family A’s contribution should be $15k, and Family B’s contribution should be $10k.</p>
<p>However, if you prefer, then ok…every parent gets a bill …whether divorced or still married. The computer formula could compute such a number if needed.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids
D1, now at Brown, had her heart in USC because of that. Wrong! They were among the ones that offered the lowest aid. They did ask for other parent information, just through the back door. And all the extra paperwork request only put her last in line for aid distribution. Brown gave her a generous…$1,400! She is there (for now) only thanks to a lot of external scholarships and lots of mom’s sacrifice, and jobs she found. Are there better options for her situation? Yes, but having top GPA, SAT scores and honors, speaking 5 languages (now 6), 10 AP’s (saved a year of college), you want to at least let her TRY her best shot…</p>
<p>D1, now at Brown, had her heart in USC because of that. Wrong! They were among the ones that offered the lowest aid. They did ask for other parent information, just through the back door.</p>
<p>I wonder if USC has taken a new approach in recent years. In the past, it seemed like they only asked if they suspected that the child was really living with the higher income parent. </p>
<p>USC really needs to change its website because their info is misleading…</p>
<p>*If your parents . . . </p>
<p>•Are married and filed separately: Submit information for both tax returns.</p>
<p>•Are divorced or separated: Provide information from your custodial parent’s 2010 federal tax return. If your parents filed jointly for 2010, submit information from that return. If your custodial parent has remarried, submit information for him/her and your stepparent.</p>
<p>◦USC does not require the CSS Non-Custodial Parent form or the CSS Business Supplemental Form.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>I don’t see where they require NCP info on their own forms, either…so, could be misleading.</p>
<p>Brown gave her a generous…$1,400! She is there (for now) only thanks to a lot of external scholarships and lots of mom’s sacrifice, and jobs she found. Are there better options for her situation? Yes, but having top GPA, SAT scores and honors, speaking 5 languages (now 6), 10 AP’s (saved a year of college), you want to at least let her TRY her best shot</p>
<p>wow…do you have other kids that will also be going to college?</p>