<p>I'm aware Notre Dame asks for "non-custodial parent information," unlike many other schools. How do they handle students with divorced parents w/ large gaps in income for financial aid? Any differently from married parents w/ combined incomes?</p>
<p>My dad works in London (but has residence in IL as well), so I live with my mom 99% of the time. My mom has a pretty mid range income (although she also receives significant child support) that I believe I would get substantial financial aid, but my dad's income is relatively large (200-300k), so I realize if ND receives his information, it will seriously hurt me for financial aid. </p>
<p>I attended a summer program at ND and one night we had a financial aid meeting, where they said they are very "understanding" with divorced parents and can work with them, but how much will they budge? The problem is, my dad is not sounding 100% for paying full price for ND. I can probably squeeze a good portion of it out of him, but if I get no financial aid from ND b/c of his income, I don't see myself being able to attend. </p>
<p>Can I expect any level of real understanding from ND's financial aid department? Anyone had a similar experience?</p>
<p>Hopefully they'll be more accommodating for you than they were for me last year. That non-custodial parent information resulted in the delay of my financial aid package at Noret Dame AND UVA (I ended up choosing without even knowing what I'd get from each school). Good luck though!!!</p>
<p>Thanks. Would it be too much to ask what you got? Or at least what you got in comparison to what you were expecting? I was hoping someone could discuss the actual monetary difference the non-custodial parent could make.</p>
<p>Currently, I have to pay about $6000 each year, not including a $2000 loan.To be honest, Virginia gave me a much better package; I received $39000 in grants and scholarships which meant Id only have to pay about $1000.</p>
<p>Here is what the ND form for noncustodial parents says:</p>
<p>Your son/daughter has applied for financial aid at the University of Notre Dame for the 2008/2009 academic year. The
University believes it is the responsibility of both biological or adoptive parents to pay for the student’s college expenses,
regardless of the parents’ marital status or where the student lives. Please complete the information below and submit
this form along with a copy of your 2007 Federal Income Tax Return and W-2 Form(s) to our office within the next two
weeks. </p>
<p>Unless your family has unusual circumstances beyond "my dad doesn't really want to pay all of that money," it's unlikely that the university will disregard his apparent ability to contribute a substantial amount toward the costs of your education. Your situation is not really different from that of many ND applicants who have non-divorced parents -- many parents with high incomes that preclude need-based financial aid are still unwilling or feel that they are unable to pay the full cost of a private university education. You might want to have a serious conversation with your dad about exactly how much he is prepared to contribute, then contact the financial aid office for guidance.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. I am not/was not expecting a HUGE difference, but am just hoping that it will be put into slight consideration as opposed to if my parents were married and had a combined income (also, if it has an effect, my dad will be paying for my stepbrothers college, he wll be going the same year as I am--but probably to a cheaper state school). My dad has said he is willing to put in a substantial amount (up to 25-30k I would think) but frankly my mom cannot pay the other 20 (although my grandpa I know would, but he's in bad shape right now...) And I'm not afraid to take out a student loan for maybe ten, so we'll see what I can work out.
I applied early, so I'm thinking I'll know by 12/15, my dad is coming in for christmas, so hopefully, assuming I'll get in, I'll have a sit-down with him and my mom to see if we can make it work. Thanks again!</p>