<p>Okay, our family is in a bit of a dilemma right now because my father who makes $300k a year is refusing to pay at all for me and my brother's education. My parents are divorced and my mother has a job that only pays about $25k a year. How am I supposed to note this on the CSS profile and specific college Financial Aid forms? Should I still have my father's salaries, etc on there or should I just leave him out since he won't directly pay?</p>
<p>(I'm assuming your mother is your custodial parent, ie that you live with her).</p>
<p>You would need your father's financial information for the non-custodial form on Profile. Some colleges require that the non-custodial form to be filled out; others don't. For some colleges, the CSS Profile will simply ask what the expected contribution of the non-custodial parent is and if that contribution was part of the divorce settlement agreement. If you see that question, you can put in zero.</p>
<p>If the non-custodial form is required by the colleges you're applying to, then your father needs to submit the form which includes his income and asset information. That form doesn't need to be visible to you or your mother, if he's concerned about that.</p>
<p>If you're applying to FAFSA-only schools, then only your mother's income/assets are considered, along with her spouse's if she's remarried.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>For some colleges, the CSS Profile will simply ask what the expected contribution of the non-custodial parent is and if that contribution was part of the divorce settlement agreement. If you see that question, you can put in zero.>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>Yes...but first...this would have had to be part of your parents' divorce settlement. It would have had to state that your father was NOT going to pay any expenses for college. You can't just put a zero in that "box" because your dad "isn't going to pay".</p>
<p>Profile schools use the information on the non-custodial parent Profile in a variety of ways, and to be honest, I'm not sure anyone here can give you a definitive answer to what is actually done. In fact...how colleges use the info on the Profile to disburse their institutional funds is up to each school.</p>
<p>One thing, however...colleges using the Profile DO expect that both parents (regardless of marital status) will contribute to the college costs.</p>
<p>Has your dad been paying child support and/or alimony since your parents divorced? Was any of that money put aside for college costs? </p>
<p>You can try to call colleges that are using the Profile to determine how they will use your dad's info (and I'm also assuming you live with your mom...is that true?).</p>
<p>In the meantime, you might want to consider some FAFSA only schools where your mom's income and assets (and her spouse if she has remarried) are the only info entered. Yes, most don't meet full need...but if you apply to a school with Profile and they consider your dad's income, you won't get any need based aid at all...none.</p>