My parents are divorced; colleges and the government will only see my moms financial info. She makes less than $60,000 a year, has two kids, owes $200,000 on our house, gets $12,000 per year in child support, and is unmarried. So the numbers that each university came back with were kinda shocking. Northeastern expects my cost to be $17,500, Boston College $28,000 (???), UNC 20,000, and Wake Forest around $15,000. The only one that makes sense based on my mom’s income is Vanderbilt at $7000. The whole thing is confusing to me because some of these estimates are 1/3-1/2 of my mom’s income for the entire year. That cuts in severely to necessities. While my dad and I will both be paying for my tuition, I don’t see how, if it were up to my mom, I would be going to college at all.
If the school is FAFSA only, then the NPC should be fairly accurate. However, I note that at least one of your schools (BC) does take into account the non-custodial parent’s income, so the NPC would not be accurate if you just used your mom’s numbers. (I didn’t check to see if your other schools do as well.)
Don’t BC, WF, and NEU all require CSS Profile and require NCP info? If so, then they’re also expecting a contribution from your dad based on his income/assets.
Not sure what you’re so upset over. If your dad is helping pay, then why would you think contribution should only be based on mom’s income.
FAFSA uses just your mom’s info.
CSS PROFILE often uses both parents’ info.
Vandy uses CSS, but doesn’t require NCP info and it meets need. That’s why it uniquely is giving that much aid.
A few things you need to know:
- For the colleges you listed, this is incorrect. Northeastern, Boston College, UNC Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, and Vanderbilt ALL require both the Fafsa and the CSS Profile to apply for financial aid. All of these colleges except Vanderbilt and UNC will require financial information from both parents.
- Not all colleges promise to meet 100% of financial need. So, what they "expect" you to pay depends on their financial aid policies. You don't HAVE to pay it. The purpose of the NPC is to determine which colleges you can afford. If, as a result of running the NPC, a college shows you a net price that you cannot afford, you need to eliminate that college from your list.
- Here is a list of colleges that require the CSS Profile. You can see which ones require it for domestic applicants and which of those also require a submission from the noncustodial parent when parents are divorced. https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx
- If you are trying to maximize financial aid by legally not reporting your father's income, you need to look for colleges that meet criterion A or B AND ALSO meet criterion C: --A. Require Fafsa only (not CSS) --B. If they require CSS, do not require it from the noncustodial parent (such as Bucknell, William & Mary, College of Wooster, Depauw University, Elon University, Georgia Tech, Gettysburg College, Hillsdale College, Ithaca College, Oberlin College, Providence College, RPI, Rhode Island School of Design, Santa Clara University, Sewanne, St. John's (NM), University of Chicago, UNC-CH, Vanderbilt -- and many others) --C. AND meet 100% of financial need (based on the college's definition of financial need, not your definition).
Your mom earns $60,000. Your child support received is an additional $12,000…total $72,000.
A family contribution in the $20,000 range seems very realistic to me.
Plus as noted, most of your colleges use the Profile and require the non-custodial parent income and assets.
Vanderbilt is the exception. But they do state they can ask for more info.
These colleges will see BOTH of your parents’ incomes and assets.
Your mom owes on your home but that isn’t the important figure. What is her equity in that home?
In the case of divorced families the NPCs are not particularly accurate
The EFC and the Net Price reflect the ability to pay OVER TIME, not the ability to pay out of pocket in one year. And “over time” means past time, present time, and future time. IOW, savings, current income, and loans to paid back in the future.
So then, what’s the problem? Sounds like you don’t need the financial aid. You’re upset about a hypothetical situation.
If it sounds like you’re not getting a ton of empathy here it’s because this isn’t that unusual. You may just be experiencing sticker shock at what a college education costs. Lots of people look at their EFC numbers and are gobsmacked, especially if they live in expensive parts of the country, and most have schools they love get chopped off their lists by cost. You still have your father’s numbers to include and you appear to have reasonable options so you’re not in a bad place.
Is your Dad’s contribution part of your parent’s divorce agreement, and if so, what has he committed to pay?
More important…is the money your non-custodial parent contributing in a dedicated 529 account for your education! If not…the money might not be there when you need it.