Help! Financial Aid for Columbia University

Hi all,

I have a predicament regarding how to file the required documents for financial aid. I, currently, reside in my mother’s residence to attend high school since it’s closer to the private one I go to.
However, I am financially-dependent on my father who lives a few towns away (approx. 20 mins) and I am confused on how to file these documents.

Keypoints:
They are still married – just living in separate houses
I am financially dependent on my Father, my siblings are financially dependent on my Mother
I am currently living with my Mother.

Help me figure this out please?

You’d file the FAFSA with your mother as the parent you live with. If your father pays child support or other support, you mother reports that in the parent financial information section.

For the CSS, your mother will complete and your father will be the non-custodial parent.

Are they separated because they are going to dissolve the marriage or are they living in separate houses because of work?

For Columbia…really…at the end of the day…this isn’t going to matter much. The school requires the Profile, so regardless of the marital status, both parents info will need to go on that.

If your parents are separated in anticipation of divorcing…you would file the fafsa using your mom’s information as custodial parent. You live with her…and if that is the case 51% of the days for the 365 before your FAFSA filing date, she is your custodial parent. Your dad wouldn’t be on the fafsa at all, but any child,support or spousal support must be listed. Then your mom would complete the Profile…and your dad would complete the non-custodial parent Profile.

NOW LISTEN…if your parents simply live apart for job purposes, ur not in anticipation of divorce…then the fafsa would include BOTH parents. So would the Profile. The residence of your mom would be your primary residence…because that is where you actually live. If your parents own a home where your dad lives…that probably would NOT be considered your primary residence…and that would be an asset for financial aid purposes.

Financial dependency really doesn’t have anything to do with this.

ETA this was posted by you in August…and contains your (very top heavy) list of colleges. All of them require the Profile…and the non-custodial parent form as well.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1915845-chance-for-schools-being-applied-to.html#latest

Are finances a significant concern? If so…how will you pay for these colleges?

And lastly…for FAFSA, are you thinking your one parent or the other earns a small enough amount that you would qualify for a federally funded Pell grant?