<p>I was accepted to a prestigious private liberal arts college, but they only provided me with about half of the astronomical tuition. I know that I'm very lucky to have gotten in, and to have been given financial aid, but it's been my dream school since I was 8 and if I don't get more aid, I won't be able to attend. I think the reason I didn't get more was because my father's CSS profile showed that he makes more than my mother, whom I live will full time, but he has bad credit and therefore can't take out loans, and what's more, he is unwilling to contribute anything to my education. I explained all of this to the assistant dean of financial aid in an email, and she said she would bring it before the committee. Am I likely to be given more aid, or should I just resign myself to my second choice?</p>
<p>Very unlikely they will reconsider but it does not hurt to ask. Colleges don’t give more aid because a parent refuses to contribute. </p>
<p>Hopefully you have a good plan B with the school that does not consider non-custodial parent income.</p>
<p>The school said they would discuss your situation. You do need to know that your dad saying he will not contribute even though he can…is NOT a reason to increase your financial aid at a school that requires the NCP Profile form (which must be the case here). How much more do you need? They might give you increased aid, but if it’s say $10,000 or more, well…not likely in my opinion.</p>
<p>Take away point from this…if a school REQUIRES the non-custodial parent profile, it’s because they use the NCP information and expect that parent to be contributing to the college costs. If you REALLY don’t want the NCP info to be used, apply to schools that do not require it.</p>
<p>I’m a bit confused… If one (not OP specifically) goes to a school that will meet 100% of need, does that mean the school will pay for, or at least provide loans for, the total cost of attendance minus the “expected family contribution?” So these unhappy people who post have problems with their school not their FAFSA?</p>
<p>You’d do better posting in a new thread. Another thread in this forum, by Jamiecakes, talks about how different schools define ‘meet full need.’ Many schools will add back business deductions for parents who own their own business. Some schools will cap home equity as a usable asset. Some schools will… etc. etc. Each school has a slightly different formula for calculating how much a family’s EFC is. Often, a school’s calculation of how much a family can afford is not at all what a family can actually afford, due to circumstance (lack of savings, other committments/choices, unusual financial history, etc.)</p>
<p>Schools schools will meet full need with grant money only. Some schools will package federal loans in as aid. So ‘meet 100% of need’ has a different meaning for each school.</p>
<p>Also, the majority of most schools do not meet full need, which is where things get difficult.</p>
<p>You pretty much cleared it up for me. It sounds like schools can still be big cheap-o’s even if they say they’ll meet 100% need.</p>
<p>Findmefazo, in the OP’s case, there is a divorce situation, and a noncustodial parent who is expected to contribute who won’t/can’t. That is an issue that often arises. Most schools that guarantee to meet full need expect both parents in divorce situations to pay for the college and require financials from both sets of parents, and the stepparents on both sides too. </p>
<p>100% of need schools usually define their own need and not use the FAFSA formula for it.</p>
<p>
Schools don’t have unlimited finds–there’s no tuition fairy for them either. Except for a few like Harvard that have gigantic endowments, schools can’t fund the educations of everyone who is admitted. They do what they can with the resources they have, using criteria that they think are sensible.</p>
<p>MommaJ, I was talking about those schools “like Harvard” that claim they will meet 100% of need. Some actually do, but others can probably find ways to avoid giving admitted students as much aid by “defining their own need.”
I don’t know whether alc710’s “prestigious liberal arts school” offers to meet 100% financial need, but if it does, OP is a prime example of students who fall through the cracks because of circumstances that are out of their control.
Iron Maiden says that it’s “very unlikely they will consider it” and Thumper1 advises only to apply to schools that don’t require certain forms. I thought it was kind of unfair that OP had to do that. And I especially didn’t mean to imply that schools have “tuition fairies” that give them unlimited funds.
but thanks anyway for clearing it up for me</p>
<p>A parent being unwilling to provide funds for a student will only rarely be considered, otherwise ALL parents would say that to get the max FA from a school.</p>