@sybbie719 they’re taking out loans because they don’t have 10,000 in their pocket but can find enough to pay it over the course of time. This is the reason loans exist. Depending on the gap I will make my decision I’m not afraid of loans as I will be attending college for pre-Med and will have to take them out anyways.
No, if you are doing pre-med with plans of attending med school you need to keep your debt as low as possible. Most of med school funding is loan. There is a cap (and your undergrad debt counts toward that cap).
You need to have the least amount of debt possible the only two things that will really matter for med school is gap and MCAT
ETA:GPA
^ sybbie means GPA and MCAT 
As a general rule to qualify for a waiver you need to demonstrate a couple of different things. One is a history of no contact, and…no money. Since you have received child support recently, I believe it will be very difficult to argue that the NCP will not contribute or that you can’t track him down to fill out the form.
You can try but I doubt you will qualify for a waiver in my personal opinion, I am truly sorry to say that.
I agree with everyone else, if the plan is med school you want zero debt for undergrad.
I think waivers are determined on a case by case basis. I don’t believe OP has contact with her father – just court ordered support delivered in a wire transfer. Child support usually ends when children turn 18, doesn’t it? I’d get the forms in and see what happens.
@ChiCasa have you used the NPC on the Syracuse website? I realize you have to get your non-custodial paperwork taken care of for Syracuse to work out your specific financial aid package but I am wondering if you try the calculator based on your family’s current situation if that will give you some insight? Anyone have any thoughts on this? If @Chicasa were to be granted a non-custodial waiver, wouldn’t it just put him in the situation of the financial information he would already have to enter for his mother which he can enter into the NPC now and get an idea of what his EFC will be? The non-custodial parent’s information will just make it more non-affordable but not make it more affordable, right?
Regarding court-ordered child support, my cousin’s daughter was in a similar situation. It sounds like your court ordered child support is also processed through court administration? My cousin’s daughter was in a similar situation. She had no contact (he remarried when she was 1 and he forgot he had a child) and her daughter never saw him again. The court ordered child support which they they wire transferred to her mom’s account. When my cousin’s daughter applied to college, with her turning 18 in the spring of her senior year of high school, they tried the non-custodial waiver route too and were denied. While she did not have contact information for him, they said she could have gone through the court to have the non-custodial paperwork completed. Problem for her was they no longer live in that state and the court wanted to schedule a hearing. They simply ran out of time because they did not get this process started early enough.
For anyone reading this thread who may be applying to schools a year or more form now - this is KEY. The best thing I think I brought to my kids’ college app process was my investment of time into finding out everything I could about financial aid and how it affects divorced parents in particular. I knew I couldn’t force the NCP to do what he needed to do, though I certainly tried to make him aware of the importance of his role as best I could. So I did everything possible to make sure my kids would have options. A couple of full tuition merit schools were on their lists, for example. I studied the NCP waiver process, even asked her GC about what might be required if NCP refused to do his part.
This is a huge part of the college app process for FA eligible divorced families and if the parents don’t know to do it, the kids have to take it on, and the earlier the better.
OP’s family was homeless for a good portion of her high school years. The mom didn’t have the resources to pursue the dad for paperwork or much else.
Syracuse doesn’t meet need so even with the waiver it’s probably a financial long shot, but if OP doesn’t try, she won’t know.
@austinmshauri As I said in the first sentence my post was for others reading along, not about the OP and her mom.
Yes, I know, @OHMomof2. My post was a recap for others late to the party who might not read the whole thread.
Unless the NPC specifically asks if the parents are divorced…it will NOT give an accurate estimate of the net cost for this student.
@OHMomof2 Great point and one that needs to be shared with families so they know to start educating themselves on the process sooner. It’s one thing to be ahead of the game and select great options that will fit your personal situation and a bit deflating for my counsin’s daughter and this OP to have to be disappointed because it’s getting late in the game to get some of the ducks in a row.
@austinmshauri OP said they were homeless for a year, not a good portion of her high school years.
@thumper1 I just looked up Syracuse’s NPC calculator and it actually did ask the parents marital status. Also, I don’t expect it would give an accurate estimate as I don’t think OP can accurately answer the questions, if there are any, about the father’s income. I got as far as the question which asked how much the non-custodial parent would contribute which I think would be fair for OP to put in zero. The point is not to gain accuracy at this time but to figure out what the college cost would be based solely on the mother’s financials. If the cost is out of reach just based on the mother’s information, then adding the non-custodial’s information is not going to improve that only probably going to make the EFC greater, no? The point of a waiver is to say this person is not going to contribute a penny so don’t include him in the financial aid calculation. If that waiver is granted, will the OP be able to get enough financial aid to cover the cost or will OP still be in a situation where the school is financially out of reach. While OP needs to keep moving the ball forward to try to get the waiver, it would also be a good idea to figure out what it is going to cost to attend Syracuse.
@ChiCasa You’ve persevered through many obstacles and you are still standing.Don’t let a set back hold you back. You may end up on a different path than you originally thought but just pave your path and don’t give up. If it doesn’t work out with Syracuse, it’s just a bump in the road. You’ll be okay. We are rooting for you!