<p>So, below is my case =]</p>
<p>My stepdad has given my stepbrother 10K/year for college, and starting next year, he'll give both my stepbrother and stepsister a total of 20K/year. There was no way to indicate this in FAFSA or Profile, except that I wrote it in the 'special circumstances' area</p>
<p>As you can see, even though 1 child in the household is indicated in the forms, but my family is paying for 3 people's education. the FAFSA gave me an EFC of 19000 without looking at the special circumstance, what do you think colleges' EFC will be for me? I'd be more than happy to take a super rough estimate!</p>
<p>Thank you SO much!</p>
<p>College’s EFC will be at least $19,000 with a good dose of loans on top of that. Your stepfather being willing to pay a certain amount is not taken into consideration. It is not a special circumstance.</p>
<p>So, is your family going to contribute $10k per year for you, too?</p>
<p>I don’t know if you’re going to get any consideration from a FAFSA only school. If these kids don’t live in your household, then FAFSA doesn’t consider them (I don’t think). Perhaps a CSS Profile school might take that under consideration.</p>
<p>I see that you’ve applied to some ivies. They may take it into acct that your SD is contributing to his kids’ college costs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses! that’s unfortunate, now I need to go back to apply for fafsa at my state university… thanks tho =]</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>???</p>
<p>Didn’t you already submit FAFSA for your ivies as well? </p>
<p>Have you spoken to your parents about how much they’ll contribute?</p>
<p>Hopefully, you’ll get into Harvard because they’ll give you the most aid…if you qualify. Does your bio dad have a good income/assets? If so, that could be another problem since ivies look at NCP info as well.</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant submit fafsa to a state U, but yes I’ve submitted it to the ivies. My NCP doesn’t reside in the US, and pretty sure can’t contribute much to my education at all. So I never submitted the NCP form…</p>
<p>*My NCP doesn’t reside in the US, and pretty sure can’t contribute much to my education at all. So I never submitted the NCP form… *</p>
<p>Yikes! It doesn’t work that way. you need to contact your schools about this issue. The fact that he lives in another country and can’t contribute is NOT a reason to just ignore the form.</p>
<p>You need to go back and read the information for each college where you applied and make sure you have sent all the required forms. If that’s difficult I would at the least e-mail the finaid offices and ask if your file is complete.</p>
<p>If you are missing a form, they might not package you. Colleges usually wait to have all the required forms before they even start deciding your aid. You need to call. </p>
<p>I do think you profile schools could consider it-- assuming, of course, you need financial aid.</p>
<p>If the step dad is contributing to the education of his other kids in college, could the OP put 3 in college?</p>
<p>Only if those 2 children are using dad as their “parent” on their FAFSA’s. Otherwise, they are not in the household size or number in college. You can’t have your cake & eat it, too. :)</p>
<p>Umm. I don’t look at this as having your cake and eating it too. A biological parent who is contributing to his children’s education should somehow have that indicated for him. It is the right thing to do.</p>
<p>I think what Kelsmom is saying that since FAFSA only considers the custodial home’s income and assets, it won’t consider what a stepdad is paying for kids in other FAFSA household.</p>
<p>CSS might consider the situation.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids is correct … that is what I meant. If the income isn’t counted, the kids in that household aren’t counted. CSS certainly may look at it differently.</p>
<p>If CSS is looking at the non custodial parent’s income, it should be looking the other kids in college that the income is supporting. The issue with FAFSA is that the income is not included in coming up with the EFC and therefore the expenses related to it are not. </p>
<p>So the stepfather’s non custodial kids get FAFSA EFC’s that do not include his financials even though they are getting his support (but isn’t that counted?) but the step child is included since this is the spouse of the custodial mother, and the payments made for college to the other kids are not taken into consideration though FAFSA calculators. </p>
<p>Well, I hope those step kids are getting a something for the lower EFC to help cover their college expenses.</p>
<p>It is a crazy system in many ways. My friend had a very low EFC, but her ex husband and father of the children was very well to do. So, the kids got state money along with PELL, Seogh, Perkins, Stafford subsidized, work study, and a bit of aid based only on mom’s financials while their father slipped them money. Outrageous abuse of the system. </p>
<p>I know another family here in the same situation. This one is the mom who is married to someone who has a child from a previous marriage. And the kid’s mother is broke, lives with someone but is not married, so there is PELL eligibility among other things. But dad will make up the difference which is needed for this kid to go the the school she wants (which uses FAFSA only for fin aid determinations).</p>
<p>Cpt, I would think that, in those cases, the bio kids are supposed to include the noncustodial parent’s contribution as other nontaxable income on the FAFSA.</p>
<p>I know. But in the cases I knew, it was not.</p>
<p>For FAFSA purposes, the father would get a break for child support paid … but not for college money given to the non custodial kids. Oh, and those kids should actually count that as “other untaxed income” on the following year’s FAFSA.</p>