<p>can you help me estimate very rough numbers of how the following universities would help me? please?! i am very disappointed at the way everything has turned out these past 2 months, drastic changes happened.
(undergraduate, first year)
columbia U
cornell U
duke U
brown U</p>
<p>parents-divorced
mother(custodial) 16 k year
father(non cust) 68 k
no savings (800 in bank), no house, no nothing.</p>
<p>live with mother and 2 siblings.
thats it.</p>
<p>THANK YOU</p>
<p>Run your numbers through a finaid calculator using the institutional methodology. That will give you a ball park. We really can’t do much better than that as each school using the Profile uses the information in DIFFERENT ways to award THEIR money. The even consider non-custodial parent assets in different ways.</p>
<p>You may just have to wait and see. The schools listed above are mighty pricey. Do you also have an admissions and financial safety in your applications?</p>
<p>well, i was accepted into duke and cornell, so those were pretty much my h igher goals.</p>
<p>now as for financial, i cant bleieve it. i was poor until december when my parents decided to do well. it screwed everything up. i have a financial safety but id truly hate my life if i had to go there after making it into such institutions. i tried to use the aid things, but they wont estimate with non custodial parent.</p>
<p>in addition, my dad stated that hes not going to help me at all financially while in college. i will write a letter to the schools, but i doubt theyll take it into account.</p>
<p>please, thank you, more input?</p>
<p>Most private schools take non-custodial parent’s income and assets into account. You certainly can and should contact the financial aid offices to tell them that your father has stated that he won’t help. Also, if you don’t have contact with him, then you can submit a form (at least to Cornell, not sure about the others) with a third-party (like a pastor or social worker) signature and statement that your father is out of the picture.</p>
<p><a href=“http://finaid.cornell.edu/special/notmarried.cfm[/url]”>http://finaid.cornell.edu/special/notmarried.cfm</a></p>
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<p>Yes…but you can do this ONLY IF your father is truly out of the picture…somehow estranged from the family. You can’t do this just because your dad says he won’t pay. In fact…that you have the contact with him to get the non-custodial parent Profile completed makes it unlikely that the college will consider ignoring your dad’s finances. Most of the time this “out of the picture” thing is granted when the parent is truly out of the picture and the student can’t even get the parent to COMPLETE the non-custodial parent form because they don’t know where they are…or have no contact with that parent.</p>
<p>Yeah, i know. that is why im saying that they will most likely not consider the case. i see my dad around once a month, when he comes and pays attention to my sister. hes always cursing my mom and brother and i around. it is a weird case, im sure there is most likely no family in our situation (it is very sad, you have to be here to experience it). im sure psychologists would have a fun time with us.</p>
<p>but in the end, yeah, we do have contact with him :(</p>
<p>Okay, have you talked to your mom about what their divorce papers say? Eg., it is common to have a clause that says something along the lines of “contribute to educational costs equally.”
It may be possible to seek a court order enforcing your father’s share of educational costs if it is already there in their divorce decree. (If they are not yet formally divorced, your mom may wish to carefully consider the educational costs language carefully before signing.)
I know that sucks but just because he’s not living with you doesn’t mean he’s not responsible for his apportioned share of Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Nor should the institution have to give you money on HIS behalf. So, try to find out what legal responsibility is outlined around your education and find out what your options are for enforcement. AND talk to financial aid for advice.
Good luck!
K</p>