financial aid and getting remarried

<p>At most of the CSS schools, you are required to submit the income from both parents even if divorced. If the custodial parent remarries, are you still required to submit the income of the other divorced parent or just the new spouse?</p>

<p>You must still report the income of the parent, unless the other parent’s new spouse legally adopts the student and thus exempts the former parent from all parental obligations/rights.</p>

<p>And you also have to report the income of the new spouse.</p>

<p>Oh, spouses of custodial parents are included on FAFSA and when it come to CSS PROFILE, for those schools requiring NCP financials, not only are the spouses of the custodial parents included, so are the spouses of the NCP. Yup. All four parents, step and original have to show it in most such cases. And if there are any step siblings, their assets get included in the assets, just as the regular siblings.</p>

<p>What Cpte posted is correct in the vast majority of cases. One exception is Princeton which has a policy for dealing with incomes of remarried parents. Princeton uses the FAFSA and its own form. </p>

<p>Not all divorces end amicably. What if the noncustodial parent refuses to provide any financial info. or sign any forms? Is the student out of luck and will not be evaluated for financial aid or is there some other recourse?</p>

<p>Hoddy, the universities are not mediators for divorce issues. If the non-custodial parent info is required, and not provided, and the student is not eligible for a waiver, the student will NOT receive institutional need based aid. Their financial aid application will be incomplete without the NCP Profile.</p>

<p>Students who anticipate this is an issue should seriously consider FAFSA only schools, Profile schools that do NOT require the NCP form (yes, these exist) and schools where they might garner merit aid.</p>

<p>I’ve known intact families where a parent is not on board or both parents can pay and won’t because they have other priorities. Why different because of a divorce? At least when there is a divorce, terms can be written into the settlement and be court enforced. No such provision with intact families. Also, FAFSA schools, federal aid only takes custodial parent’s (and spouse) financials. If there were waivers available just because the NCP won’t coooperate, none of them would. That’s the way it works with anything. No one pays if there is a legal way to get out of it. So that avenue has been sealed off. It’s that niche where students who have parents who can but won’t pay, can’t get fin aid from a lot of the schools that give the best aid and are often the top schools. </p>

<p>I appreciate the quality and thoroughness of the responses.</p>

<p>What bothers me about the situation I am writing about is not that the non-custodial parent will not supply any money, but that he will not even fill in the forms, thus not allowing the student to be evaluated for financial aid as one of the above posts mentions. I guess there is no was force parental responsibility.</p>

<p>Hoddy, there are other options a student can consider (as I noted in my post above). If a student is sure these forms are not going to be completed by a NCP and also that the parent isn’t likely to contribute, then …</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Apply to FAFSA only schools. Only the custodial parent and spouse (if there is one) go on the FAFSA. These schools do not meet full need but at least the application will be processed.</p></li>
<li><p>Look for schools,where the student is eligible for merit awards. These are not usually financial aid application dependent.</p></li>
<li><p>Look for Profile schools that do not require the NCP Profile.</p></li>
<li><p>Extreme…the custodial parent could go to court and try to get an order requiring the NCP to complete the form.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Waivers are available for extreme cases, usually when a parent has had no contact, given no support for a period of time before college. If that NCP just never was around in the kid’s life and penny one was never collected, or the NCP is in jail, is dangerous with restraining orders, a police record, or such extreme cases, that waiver most certainly will be granted. For less extreme cases, it depends. </p>

<p>But if a NCP can be easily excluded from the picture for college payment, it becomes part of the divorce settlement strategy. This way, it’s right out there and is up to the parents to come to some agreement that when the child becomes of college aid, what sort of finances would be available. Of course, the colleges themselve will determine what each parent should be contributing as well as the federal process. But this is something that should be considered in the the divorce negotiations </p>

<p>The colleges will not care what is stated in a divorce decree. If they require the NCP Profile, the divorce decree can say that the NCP doesn’t have to complete it, but that won’t matter one bit to the colleges.</p>

<p>Likewise, the divorce decree can state a NCP is responsible for a certain dollar amount. BUT the college are going to do their own computations. It will be up to the family to figure out how the bills are going to be paid. If the decree says the NCP doesn’t have to pay for college, then the custodial parent will need to figure out how to shoulder the costs. The college will still use the NCP info if required, and the family contribution will be computed using that info.</p>

<p>Thumper is exactly right. Prenups, divorce agreements, none of those mean a thing. The schools use the income and asset figures from all those included (which can be parents, steps including sibs from both sides) and ignore any agreements of excluding responsibility or even extending it. You are expected to pay $X as determined by school formula. So those who are undergoing divorce, have to incorporate language understanding how it’s going to be for college. Hard to do when college is years away and who knows what the future holds in terms of financial situations and college lists. But that’s the way it goes. </p>

<p>My friend’s ex made a half miilion a year or so and had the assets but he refused to pay a dime. In that state, once the kid turns 18 or graduates high school, that is the end of any support requirements. And dad was not paying. Mom’s finances made the kids PELL eligible. Pathetic that kids of someone who makes that kind of money are getting fund directed to those who are low income, but yes, they did qualify for it. But none of the PROFILE schools would give any financial aid as they would not exclude the dad’s fiancials. So both kids went to state schoola, taking out loans,PELL, some school aid and one commuting to make it work. The dad did pay each of their last year costs and paid off their loans. He wanted to milk the system of every cent and that he did.</p>

<p>Hoddy, from other posts it looks like you have already been accepted to Princeton, St. Joseph’s, and UMD. You are contemplating an army ROTC scholarship. </p>

<p>Is your query for yourself, or just in general?</p>

<p>You have presumably decided on the ROTC route. That is another way to deal,with costs when a NCP can’t be counted on to help.</p>

<p>I have other siblings who will be facing the same situation in a few years. They will probably be running into the same situation and I primarily wanted to know what options they would have.</p>

<p>Hopefully, your siblings have strong stats and can pursue some strong merit awards. That takes the edge off, because the need component doesn’t come into play year after year. </p>

<p>There is no “parental responsibility” when it comes to college. Parents are not obligated to pay.</p>

<p>In the end, it may be better this way. If your dad supplied info, but wouldn’t pay his share, then how does that help you? Would your mom pay HIS SHARE and HER SHARE? if not, then it is better that you not waste your time and money.</p>

<p>If you have the stats to be applying to schools that require both parents’ info, then likely you have the stats to get merit scholarships elsewhere.</p>

<p>What are your stats?</p>

<p>How much will your mom pay each year?</p>

<p>Hoddy…you want to become a doctor. You’ve been accepted to Princeton with a rotc scholarship. You also have a full ride to UMaryland. </p>

<p>If I were you, I’d take the UMaryland route because it gives you more flexibility.</p>

<p>Hoddy, refusing to fill out the forms is a huge problem with financial aid, from the poorest student to the well to do, but those who are on the low end of the econ scale particularly get hurt. It’s not just the NCP who refuse to fill out the forms. Sometimes the custodial parent, only parent won’t do it because that person is just too messed up to do so, and WON’T do ANY paperwork. Some have tax and other problems they just can’t face and the very idea of filling out yet another for or releasing this info to the kid so he or someone else could, is a total no go. THose poor kids can’t get squat, though they may be eligible for PELL, state plans, loans, all low income entitlements for those who can fill out the paper work. But if they haven’t filed taxes, won’t share the info with the kids, those kids are sunk for ANY financial aid, even FAFSA entitlements. </p>

<p>It makes sense, and less damage done when high income/asset parent like the example I used above refused to fill out his info. He would have to release personal financial info and it’s all to no avail anyways. Even his refusal to pay a dime made sense because any money he gave the kids and ex would be considered support and have to be reported as income on the FAFSA. So by being Scrooge, they got MORE money. </p>

<p>So a NCP with a lot of money isn’t preventing you from getting aid from a PROFILE school by refusal to file the forms; i’ts the financial situation that is. </p>

<p>Thank for the great post. Although the NCP might not be willing to provide any money, at least if he fills in the form the college can evaluate for financial aid and determine/supply the calculated amount of need. By not filling in the form, he is just putting greater financial pressure on the student and CP since no need based aid will be provided,</p>