How will my chances at financial aid be changed by my parents recent divorce? Is it true that for FAFSA I only have to report one parent’s income then? How would this affect federal aid and collegiate aid?
FAFSA and federal aid only require information for the parent you live with.
However, most colleges with good need-based financial aid require the CSS Profile, including the non-custodial parent information. I.e. you need both parents to be cooperative with the forms and willing to pay what the colleges expect them to pay.
Colleges with good need based financial aid that only require information from the parent that you live with are Albright, Chicago, maybe Vanderbilt, and in-state public schools in some states (not all; some have poor aid even for in-state students, and some require non-custodial parent information).
Beyond that, you may have to look for merit scholarships that do not depend on need based financial aid, or low list price colleges.
Also, as a practical matter, divorces tend to increase costs for both parents (lawyer fees and the added cost of having two households instead of one), so your parents may be able to contribute less than they would have if they stayed married.
I posted this in your other thread, but wanted to post here…
It’s naive to forgo the NMF opportunity. While an ACT 36 is super, take SAT and go for NMF. Being a NMF follows you. In fact, when my son’s first internship found out that he was NMF, they instantly raised his salary by $3 an hour.
And there can be larger scholarships for NMF that aren’t available even with a 36.
@jake071999 You’ve recently asked about aid and your divorced parents. The schools that give the best need based aid require BOTH parents’ info. They use CSS Profile.
So, if your parents can’t/won’t pay (and many divorced parents can’t/won’t), you may find that you’ll need a large NMF award to pay for college, especially since you’re premed.
Here are the big merit scholarship lists:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://nmfscholarships.yolasite.com/ (National Merit)