Financial Aid Divorced Parents

<p>Hi there. So I have been quite confused in how financial aid at UofM works when parents are divorced. I live with my mother and she makes around $55,000 and has around $70,000 saved. My dad however makes around $110,000 and has maybe $80,000 saved. What worries me is because UofM does use the CSS profile that looks at the non custodial parent will I end up getting screwed over for financial aid due to my father's large income? I used the UofM net price calculator but it does not allow you to put in the non custodial parent if they are divorced. Using just my mothers information on the calculator it looks as if i can attend UofM financially. Is this inaccurate because it doesn't look at my father's income? Also, are the sample student financial aid packages on UofM's site a good estimate for me or no because those samples also do not account for divorced cases? Any personal experience or knowledge on this subject would be much appreciated. Thanks a lot!</p>

<p>Because UMichigan also requires the Non-Custodial Profile, the typical advice is for you to run the calculators separately for each parent and sum together the contribution. If either parent has remarried, their spouse’s income will also be considered.</p>

<p>no sample financial aid packages but i have divorced parents too. if you are out of state, i guarantee you will get screwed for financial aid and for that i am sorry (if you’re in state im not sure). i went through the same problem freshman year as well as a few of my friends and they don’t care what the marital agreement says or how much your dad agrees to pay, etc. you will get screwed</p>

<p>The phenom you are about to encounter is not unique to UMich – any school that uses CSS, including the majority of private schools, etc. is likely to expect a contribution from your father.
What has your father said about making such a contribution? Are you in-state or out-of-state?</p>

<p>and remember:

</p>

<p>It’s not being “screwed over” to expect parents with means, whether they’re married or not, to plan for and pay for their child’s education. With a gross income of $165,000 your parents are not likely to be eligible for federal aid.</p>

<p>This doesn’t mean you might not be awarded merit or otherwise end up with a package that’s affordable. But financial aid was not created to assist earners in the $165,000 range.</p>

<p>So technically speaking, the person “screwing you” for attending UMich would be your father if he doesn’t contribute his share, NOT UMICH for subsidizing HIS responsibility.</p>