Looking at whether GA Tech would be an affordable option for our family. Does anyone know what information the school requires from non-custodial parents. It looks like the CSS non-custodial parent profile is NOT required, but the institution appears to have its own financial aid form that cannot be viewed without an account. The topic is not addressed on the college’s website. TVM in advance for any help!
I’m not sure what this additional form you’re referring to is? Georgia Tech uses the FAFSA and the College Board’s CSS profile to make financial aid decisions. Keep in mind that Georgia Tech does not promise to meet 100% of a student’s need, so even if your expected family contribution is low, you may have to find means outside of Tech to fill the gap between what Tech offers and what you and your family can afford to pay. The exception to this is if you are an in-state student that qualifies for the Tech Promise program (i.e. annual family income less than $33,300). If so, Tech will meet need without loans: https://finaid.gatech.edu/tech-promise
Non-custodial parents are not required to submit information on the FAFSA, but if your custodial parent has remarried, the step-parent’s information will need to be included.
Georgia Tech also does not require the non-custodial parent CSS profile. https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx
@InPursuit Thanks for the insight. I am asking specifically what information about the non-custodial parent is asked on the GA Tech Application for Scholarships and Financial Aid. This form is listed as being required in addition to the FAFSA and CSS Profile (without non-custodial parent profile).
In our case, custodial parent has an EFC of $10k, but together both parents would be full pay. But with two in college in September and the third in 2020, we are targeting colleges with a net direct cost for OOS below $35k. This is in line with the net price calculator for GA Tech based on custodial parent. Maybe I’ll email the college to ask about forms.
The Georgia Tech Application for Scholarships and Financial Aid form does not ask any questions about non-custodial parents. The only question the application asks about parents, which is optional, is if either parent is employed by Visy Paper/Pratt Industries, as children of those parents may be eligible for a scholarship.
Note that while Georgia Tech does not consider the income of the non-custodial parent, there isn’t a ton of money available for OOS students. Your EFC may be $10k, but you will likely still need to come up with more than that through loans to attend Tech. Also note that Alimony, if any, counts as income for your custodial parent.
@InPursuit Thanks for the answer. That was exactly the information we were looking for. Assuming the net price calculator is accurate, we could afford it.
Net price calculators aren’t always reliable for divorced parents.
@austinmshauri Agree that net price calculators are not reliable for colleges that take into account income and resources of both custodial and non-custodial parents, because they have different policies for combining the two. For colleges that focus on custodial parent only, I have found the calculators to be relatively reliable. Between my first and second children, we applied for financial aid at 25 different colleges that only considered custodial parent. I was surprised how closely the NPCs matched the actual awards. For colleges that considered both parents, we skipped applying for financial aid altogether and targeted large merit scholarships.