Hey all,
Anybody pls help me out with my FAFSA situation. I’m a US citizen currently living in India with my custodial parent - mom. Born in Texas, parents were skilled immigrants. They divorced in 2004. Father is non custodial, living in Dallas, TX making quarter million dollars every year (guesstimate), remarried with other kids. Mom used to work in USA from 1996-99, but left because we were physically forced to go to India (me and mom by dad). So she doesn’t work here in India. My father is unreachable and I know very little about him, he has simply refused to support me financially further after I turned 18. He used to give very less, peanut amounts of child support, once in a while till a year back. So currently CP’s income, savings, retirement, investments are all ‘ZERO’. Basically every question in the FAFSA regarding income and finances about me and CP are ‘ZERO’. Assets are very few, around $15,000 including home. In very tight financial situation. So should I just fill up the FAFSA with 0s and get EFC of 0? What if I’ll be chosen for verification by the feds or the colleges? What should I provide for verification? And CP is non-US citizen while NCP is US citizen.
I’m targeting schools where I can get generous merit and need based aid. Have a 4.0 GPA, 1600 SAT, tons of ECs, a hook.
What should I do with the FAFSA? Is there any hope I can pursue studies in USA for undergrad? Even though my EFC will be 0, I can scrounge up like $5000 max every year for 3-4 years. I few I’ll have to take out maximum loans? I’m considering the following colleges (not finalized) -
- Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX
- Texas Lutheran University, Seguin, TX
- Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
- Trinity University, San Antonio, TX
- University of Dallas, Dallas, TX
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
- Missouri State University
- Millsaps College
- Missouri State University
- University of Mississippi
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- Tulane University
- University of Arkansas
- University of Alabama
- University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Miami University
- Case Western Reserve University
- Brandeis University
- University of Tulsa
- Augustana University
- University of South Dakota
- Montana State University
- University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
- University of Rochester
- University of Arizona
- University of Utah
- Bentley University
- Utah State University 1. University of Denver, Denver, CO
- University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- University of San Diego, San Diego, CA
- Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
- Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
- University of Miami
- Marquette University
- Oakland University
- University of Detroit, Mercy
- Villanova University
- Rutgers University
P. S. : Should I apply to the Ivies and elite colleges with acceptance rates <30%? Coz I don’t want to waste money on application fees. But if I get in, it’ll be great!
I know it’s been a long post. Thanks in advance! Your guidance and response is highly appreciated.
Do you have younger siblings, what does the divorce decree say about child support, why has your mom not pursued legal action against him to pay what the courts told him he needs to pay? If you got money from him as recently as a year back, any decent lawyer or private detective could find him in 10 minutes (for one thing, wire transfers or anything involving money internationally leaves a paper trail).
Along with the FAFSA, there are schools that participate in the CSS Profile, in which information is needed from the non-custodial parent. You can complete a non-custodial waiver if you meet the criteria:
https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/.
If your father’s income is as high as you suspect, then you will not get the kind of financial aid you need at the Ivies. As a reach, apply to the University of Chicago if that interests you since they will not require your non-custodial parent’s financial information (but verify that this is still true when your custodial parent lives overseas).
Another thought, would your father’s residency in Texas qualify you for in-state tuition at UT Austin (or any of the Texas public universities)?
University of Alabama should definitely stay on your list. Do you have a particular area of study, ie STEM or business, or are you looking for a college where you can explore your options?
@Blossom, I don’t have any siblings. The divorce decree said that he just has to pay $50 a month towards child support ($50?!, the courts are kidding me). The decree did not state anything about maintenance or alimony or division of marital estates and nothing monetary compensation towards mom. She hasn’t challenged him legally because she became mentally disturbed for years after the horrific divorce and financial problems. Father had already threatened mom that he would even bribe the highest courts in US and India and further went on to threaten dire consequences to life. He hasn’t sent anything since 1.5-2 years, so I doubt he would be pinned, as he uses his Indian bank to transfer money. He is as cunning as a fox. Sorry, I went too deep into the details. But I just want to get into a US college with sufficient aid. I’m not sure how well the financial aid stuff at the feds and colleges will go and if that flops out, I got no other option than to pursue undergraduate in India.
I’m not a divorce lawyer and I know this isn’t your problem- but again, if he’s got assets in the US (checking account, owns a house, even a cellphone) a competent lawyer can find him in a nanosecond. Nobody can live in the US with ONLY assets off-shore, no matter how cunning he is. At some point he had cable TV or used a credit card to buy a pizza… which means you may not be in touch with him, but he hasn’t fallen off the face of the earth.
If your budget is really 5K per year and you have no place to live and commute to in the US, then I’m not sure that applying to colleges in the US is the best use of your time. Just travel costs will eat up your budget- and you’ll need a place to live during breaks, summers, etc.
No extended family in the US? A grandparent?
@Otterma, yeah, I expect (from relatives, friends and other sources) that his net worth is around $5-6 million or maybe higher. I do like University of Chicago, but I’m really confused with their acceptance rate of 8%?! I know I have a 4.0GPA, 1600 SAT, glowing recommendation letters, ton of ECs, National Level Spell Bee finalist, national level chess, Govt. Of India INSPIRE science scholarship, etc. I was thinking maybe colleges with 40-75% would accept me. But since I’m not really in the US education atmosphere as yet, I’m doubtful. Do you think I’m the guy for colleges with acceptance rates below 20%?
I just checked UT Austin’s in state requirements and they mention that the parent domiciled in Texas has to be claiming me on his Taxes, which I believe my father is not claiming me, cause he didn’t get the IRS 8332 (release on claim of child exemption) from my mom. So I guess they’d consider me out state. Correct me if I’m wrong.
I just shortlisted the above 46 colleges. I still didn’t think about colleges with below 30% acceptance rate as I said earlier I don’t know if I’m the guy they’d like to admit. I do want to study business, especially Finance and hopefully any available honors program in that. I’m so deeply attached with Finance and economics and math. I’d like to work my way up to Wall Street. I also plan to study Quant finance for masters from a top university, if that helps.
Seems like your main issue is not FAFSA (which includes only your custodial parent finances), but that (a) you may have no in-state residency in any state (state universities usually give no financial aid to out-of-state students), and (b) some colleges also require the CSS Profile with non-custodial parent information for financial aid.
@Blossom, I’ve got nobody (well-wisher) in the US. I’m trying and hoping to start myself a new life in US. I had ran the net price calculators of all the top colleges in every state of the US to see what it would cost me. So the list of universities that I listed in my 1st post is what I researched would be reachable financially. To be noted is that those are all universities with acceptance rates above 30%, as I’m not sure given my background in one of my message in this thread, would be a fit of universities below 30% acceptance rates. Actually, I’m outright stricken by acceptance rates, but as one user pointed out, UChicago well might be in my reach. That’s why I’m looking at universities with full tuition or even full rides, as I don’t want financial situation to obstruct my college career.
Ok…
- For colleges where the FAFSA is the only financial aid form, your dad’s income and assets will NOT be included on the FAFSA. The FAFSA uses only the custodial parent, in your case that is your mom because you reside with her greater than 50% ofthe time...right?
- If your mom receives child or spousal support from your dad, that will need to be listed on the FAFSA along with any income she has.
- The Ivy League schools use non-custodial parent information. So for those colleges, your dad will either need to complete the non-custodial parent Profile. Or in the case of Princeton...you would complete their school based form which includes non-custodial parent information.
Not sure how you would pay for the Ivies at >$60,000 a year…if your dad is required to provide info…and the schools use it.
Not sure you would qualify for a non-custodial parent waiver.
- As noted, University of Chicago meets full need and does NOT require non-custodial parent information.
- If your income is really $0, be prepared to explain to colleges how your mom and you pay your day to day living expenses. You will be asked...and will need to document who is paying and how these expenses are being paid with $0 income.
- If your EFC is really $0, you will get a $5900 Pell Grant, and you can take a $5500 Direct Loan for your freshman year.
- What about schools like University of Alabama? @mom2collegekids what is the guaranteed aid this student would receive? Would the full Pell, and Direct Loan cover most of the remaining costs? Why about Huntsville?
- A lot of the public universities on your list will not be affordable. You are an out of state student.
- Did you take the PSAT? Any chance you will be a National Merit finalist? That could open up a couple of doors.
- I would suggest you add University of Pittsburgh and delete some of the others. Apply early to Pitt. They have some very good merit awards...and you might just get one of the few they offer.
- Keep University of New Mexico on your list. @WayOutWestMom what guaranteed scholarships would this high stats kiddo get at UNM?
- What is your hook...because some things students think are a hook...are NOT.
- @happymomof1 could you please send the link and name of the organization that helps students abroad?
- Do you have some major in mind?
- Keep University of Arizona on the list too...
- Geographically and demographically, your list is all over the place....large, small, urban, rural, warm weather, cold weather, Private, public. What ARE you looking for in a college? And where did this first list come from?
- And lastly...you wrote:
How? How will you do this on $0 income and assets? How?
You’ll simply have to avoid schools where the NCP information is required. This will be many/most CSS Profile schools, which will be many/most extreme, for selective schools. Read the financial aid websites.
If you have zero income how do you eat and where do you sleep? This is what you will have to explain when your FAFSA is verified.
Run the net price calculators for all of your schools. There are going to be very few who will fund you.
This site can help you find them
https://collegecost.ed.gov/netpricecenter.aspx
Plan a career path that doesn’t require a master’s to start - You have no funds for undergrad, so you’re going to need a job right away to pay off student loans. Wall Street would be awesome, but any decent paying professional job will be a step up from where you seem to be now. Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good here.
With divorced parents…the net price calculators will likely not be accurate.
@thumper1, first of all, I really, really appreciate your time spent in helping me out and broadening my understanding. Thank you.
- Yes, the custodial parent is mom. I've lived with her my entire life. In fact, I've never seen my father, other than photos. So yeah, it's mom.
- Her income I guess would be 0. Child support was irregular and last received 2 years back.
- Most probably I'll sip the Ivies. They'll run me unimaginable bills. Anyways, Dad isn't going to fill out any forms, neither he has talked to me since years.
- Do you really think University of Chicago would take me in? Like, I mean, everytime I research about a US university, the first thing I do is check out its acceptance rates and I'm really stricken by acceptance rates below 30%. I was thinking schools with 40-75% are reachable for my background. Not that I'm low in confident. So you think Uchicago's 8% would include me, probably?
- Proving that'll be tough. I don't know how I'm going to do that. It's all leftover money that mom earned in the US within those 3 years.
- Is it? I had run all their NPC's and checked that all of them would cost me finally less than $13,000 after grants, scholarships, loans.
- No, not taken the PSAT. Studying in an Indian school, I'm unaware of what National Merit Finalist is. I doubt if I could even be one from overseas.
- If you don't mind, could you help me out in what all colleges I should strike off? Thanks.
- Im extremely passionate about chess, so that'll be my hook.
- I want to study business and major in Finance. Im open to option of double and triple majoring too, with Economics / Math. Would like to get into the school's honors college too, if possible.
- What about UT Dallas? They have this AES Honors scholarship covering full tuition + $6000 stipend a year.
- To be honest, I actually spent 3 days running all the NPC's of all the top universities in all the states of US. I'm looking for pure academics, reputation, chess, networking, internships and stuff like that. Plus a shot at Wall Street.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/21089443/#Comment_21089443 may help you with automatic merit scholarships.
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/ may help you with competitive merit scholarships.
Verify on college web sites because some may have changed.
Chicago and Vanderbilt may offer good financial aid without your father’s finances. If your mother is remarried, Princeton also.
Realistically, you want a net price under $10k after grants and scholarships (not loans), since that is probably the most you can borrow and earn from work while in school.
Things aren’t adding up here. If your mom still has money from when she worked in the U.S., then that would be an asset of hers that would be reported. Is that how you are actually living day to day? Solely on the money she earned in the mid-1990s??
@AroundHere, I actually ran the NPCs for all the top universities in every state and ended up with that list, which displayed COA below $10,000 with grants, scholarships and loans. But as @thumper1 pointed out rightly, they may be only a estimate. Some of them offer full tuition / full rides too.
@ucbalumnus, do you feel I should apply to UChicago, Vanderbilt and Princeton? Do I have good chance there? I don’t have an AP courses as they were not offered, neither I had IB courses at school. But I really like the Booth School of Business at UChicago, so I’ll give it a try.
@suzy100, yeah the asset question on the FAFSA will be the only one that’s not empty. There’s still little asset left. Plus a primary home too. Yup, solely.