<p>Many of the colleges I'm applying to require absolutely no financial help from the parents when their income is less than $60,000 or another similar number. My mom's income is very low, around $25,000, and my mom has full custody of me. My father pays meager child support, lives in another state, and I am not in contact with him at all. Together, my parents income is above $60,000 but my mom cannot make any contribution and my dad will refuse outright. Is there a way to explain this to a college?</p>
<p>Assuming you are applying to schools that want a non-custodial statement; it is difficult, but not impossible, to get around the requirement. In some instances, schools have requested statements from attorneys or ministers close to the family to verify the non-custodial parent is not cooperative or unavailable. This has released the non-custodial requirement in some instances that we have worked with.</p>
<p>Yes. First, contact the college’s financial aid office and ask them what their process is for requesting a non-custodial parent information waiver. Some colleges will respond with a process, and some will tell you they don’t offer a waiver, but will allow you to explain circumstances, etc. </p>
<p>Then, prepare your narrative. You need a statement – like a letter – explaining your family situation. Include divorce dates, contact details, etc. Get personal, because FA offices need to understand why you’re asking, other than just “My dad won’t pay”. For example, is there a reason you and your father are not in contact? Is your mother in contact with him? What contact information do you have for him?</p>
<p>Next, if at all possible, get at least one letter from a third party who explains their understanding of the situation. This is not a letter from a lawyer or your mother; it can be from a teacher, counsellor, therapist, or religious figure. </p>
<p>Then, follow the instructions that schools gave you. I strongly suggest doing this as soon as the fall school year starts, because you want to know early what each process is, and how to handle it. As a rule, the more responsive and helpful the FA office about providing the information, the more likely they are to be flexible and helpful with your aid. In our family’s case, the school that was the most helpful – required only an email statement explaining the matter – was also the most generous with aid. Schools that were very rigid and repeatedly asked for more details and documentation were the most difficult get an award letter from. </p>
<p>We went through this process in December/January of son’s senior year, before applications were due, to ensure we knew what was up. That way, when we submitted financial aid applications (FAFSA, PROFILE) we’d already started the waiver process at each school.</p>