CSS Profile Participating Institutions and Programs (second to last column is about the non-custodial parent requirement), but verify on college web sites, since some errors sometimes occur on this list.
The non-custodial parent waiver form is at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/css-profile-waiver-request-non-custodial-parent.pdf . Note that each college can make its own decision, which may not necessarily be the same as that of another college.
The form asks for his address. A college wouldnât contact him would it?
Thank you! I missed it!
I think you have to ask the colleges that. You can call some next week and ask if the have policies about this. They should be able to tell you that even before your kids apply.
I answered questions from prospective students all the time. I didnât care whether or not they had already applied. Itâs part of the financial aid officerâs job to help families understand financial aid beforehand, so that they can determine whether it even makes sense to apply.
Hi @Sportsball,
It is time for you to sit down and have a talk with your GC (adult to adult) . You have stated that it is already in the schoolâs database that there is a no-contact order between your ex and your children. Since your request for a non-custodial waiver must be written by a neutral third party (the counselor/social worker) your GC in his/her capacity as the school counselor will be the one writing the request for the non-custodial waiver and will be able to attest that the order was/or still is in place.
I didnât say anything about a schoolâs database.
Itâs complicated because we moved, and it appears he doesnât know where we are. So, my kidâs current GC doesnât have any experience with my ex. The court order is on file, but at least for my youngest, and possibly both kids theyâll be in different schools when they apply to college, and the order may have expired.
Schedule a meeting and have a conversation with your guidance counselor. S/He will be the one who will need to write the request for a custodial waiver. You can have the conversation now to ask what will s/he needs to be able to request the waiver on your childâs behalf. You can give him/her copies of all of your documents. As a former school counselor before moving to administration, I have literally written hundreds of letters.
But wonât it be the guidance counselor that they have senior year in HS? Not their current GC?
Have you seen students get rejected? I worry that the fact that I get child support will be an issue.
Start building your file. You can have these conversations now. Counselors are used to handling these situations. I understand that you are receiving support but there is also a no-contact order. This is why you are asking for the waiver; you donât want yourself or your kids to have contact with your ex in order to attend college.
Have your documentation start building your case. The college is not going to place you and your children at risk and most likely will approve the waiver
In my district, once you have a fee waiver your kid is eligible for other things (without applying). For example, district pays for the AP exams for fee-waiver eligible kids-- it might not seem like much, but if your kid can get college credit for three or four courses taken in high school- itâs real money.
Take Sybbieâs advice. Find out what documentation is needed and get a meeting on the calendar.
My kids wonât be fee waiver eligible.
Ooops, I meant to reply @blossom !
Does the order have an expiration date on it? If not, it is likely one party would have to request the order be vacated. Since you arenât likely to do that, he would have to do it. Depending on your state, the child support order will probably expire when the child reaches 18 or 21.
He may not move to vacate the order if the child support ends automatically.
Yes, they expire. They can only be extended if there is a documented act of abuse. Ours has been extended a few times.
Which is why you want to talk with the GC. Donât worry the re ord will follow the kid. You want to show that it has been on going
You seem to be reticent to follow advice that posters are giving you. Yes, it can be the senior year GC writing a letter in support of an NCP waiverâŠbut it doesnât have to be, especially if you think it could be a problem (but why not follow sybbieâs advice to start working on this now?). The junior year GC can write a supporting letter, or a clergy leader, or an attorneyâŠanyone who knows the situation.
It is possible your NCP waiver wonât be granted everywhere. Cast a wide net when applying. Has your D identified any affordable safety schools that are FAFSA only?
An attorney is not a neutral third party. IME they donât take attorney letters because they are usually being written for their clients.
You can call a school that your student might be interested in and ask to speak to a financial aid officer and ask them what their protocol is. You can do this for several schools and see if there is a pattern, or if each school is wildly different than the others.
There are complicated reasons why I am not talking to the current counselor, but also the simple reason that the kid I think this is more likely to be an issue for is in middle school.
I am asking now because we are making big decisions that might impact this now.
If you or your children have been in therapy, you can have your therapist write a letter. A clergy person can also write a letter. I have accepted letters from family friends or from attorneys if they are accompanied by documentation (such as a PPO). The schools where I worked wanted to document the situation, but we also wanted to be sure not to add to a familyâs trauma in doing so.