Can someone bottom line for me…is there any hope for my daughter to attend a university or should I tell her to give up the dream and face reality. Dad had a midlife crisis and left us last year after spending our savings and 30 years together. He quit working in June 2016 after being fired from a $200 K job. Not divorced yet, still in shock… trying to figure out how to apply for aid since still married, but he is long gone staying at different places. I Lost home… we are living with relative. I was an at-home mom forever and now earning about 20K. She has a 4.5 gpa (3.8 UW) 30 ACT Huge list of extracurricular/leadership/3 third world mission trips etc. Amazing girl with huge heart and huge goals. With no credit score from me or dad anymore, little income (under 40K) --yet he earned 120K before he got fired in 2016 in Jan-June, is there ANY realistic possibility of getting her financed in ANY way into one of her desired Universities. I will do anything to try to help her, but if it is just not a reality anymore I need to know that too.
She needs to have realistic expectations. If she will only go to elite college or a school that gives no merit, she will be disappointed. If she’s willing to look for opportunities, she’ll find something.
Is she going into her senior year? It is your income from 2016 that will be used on the first FAFSA. If she chooses a CSS school, her father will have to fill out a non-custodial parent form. He’ll be able to explain his drop in income.
She’ll probably qualify for a Pell grant based off your income, and perhaps some other funds from your state or the school. She could look for schools that have big merit awards too.
Have you looked at the public universities in your state? Does your state have any grant aid for low in one students?
If your income is under $20,000 a year…your daughters EFC (family contribution) per FAFSA will likely be $0. This means she would get a $5900 Pell grant. In addition, for freshman year, she would get $5500 in loans in HER name only. That’s $11,400 to start.
Is she planning to retake the ACT…or take the SAT? If her score was a tad higher, she might also be in contention for some merit aid that could be very helpful in your situation. Some schools allow students to stack merit and need based aid. Some don’t.
If she can improve her ACT score, she could be a contender for admission to colleges that meet full need AND are generous. The combined income of her dad…and you…$140,000 for 2016 would not be out of range to receive good aid at some schools IF she got accepted…
Also, look for colleges that do NOT require the non-custodial parent Profile.
What are the “desired universities”? So much of this depends on the school. If you want anything more than general advice, you need to name the schools that your daughter is interested in.
In applying for FA, you can discuss the fact that your financial situation has drastically changed since the 2016 tax year.
I agree with others that raising her test scores will help tremendously, both in terms of admissions and in terms of possibly qualifying for merit.
I am incredibly sorry that you and your daughter have been put through this. A family member went through a very similar situation with her husband. She wrote a very personal and heartfelt letter to her daughter’s university financial aid office. She also had her attorney draft a letter. The school was able to adjust her daughter’s financial aid packet and worked with her on a payment plan. ETA: The school was Stanford.
Yes, she can do this. she has the grades to get into a more selective school with better need based aid. She’ll likely still take loans…in her own name. She might have to work full time in the summers and 10 hours a week during the school year…but there is plenty of opportunity for those willing to work. Yes, it can be done, but she has to want it very badly and work very hard.
Start with the best public schools in your own state.
What state are you in?
Thank you for the responses! My daughter is going to be a senior and would like to go to UC schools or somewhere in California. NYU, Stanford and Cal Poly are on her reach wish list. She is a working model also and works in LA, San Fran and NY when her schedule allows for travel, and she would like to be by one of her agencies. So… if kids do get admitted, are students able to take on personal student loans in the amount to fill in the gap between the EFC and the amount of aid received if their parents have a bankruptcy pending 
I got nervous when I read something that said that school loans were based on credit score and co-signer. I am gently directing my son to state/community college route, but he is younger and this girl has worked since she was a little one for these dreams! She is also fighting the emotional side of this like a champ, and I hate for her to lose anything more than she has. Thank you all for any insight. Just knowing it is possible to fund her if we work helps, the two of us will stay up all night together finding ways and resources if there is any chance…if not I would rather tell break it to her. Thank you all for your help. First post–glad to have found this 
I am in Arizona.
NYU is known for poor financial aid. California public universities give no need-based aid to non-California residents, and merit scholarships are rare. Stanford requires both parents’ financial information for financial aid purposes and is a reach for everyone.
She may want to look into full ride merit scholarships. These lists may help, but need to be verified on school web sites, since some have changed:
http://automaticfulltuition.yolasite.com/
http://competitivefulltuition.yolasite.com/
In addition, see if the Arizona public universities offer sufficient need-based aid and/or merit scholarships to make them affordable (use their net price calculators on their web sites). The prior-prior year income used in financial aid forms may be a problem if your income was recently high, though.
For FAFSA only schools, only your income will count. However, most don’t give great aid.
We need more info
Home state? Edit: I see you’re in Az.
DD’s major and career goal?
If you’re in a state that gives state aid and only uses FAFSA, then you may be ok. You’re separated so only your income counts on FAFSA. However, CSS Profile schools won’t work.
If you’re not in a state that gives state aid, then finding a FAFSA only school which will give her HUGE merit and a Pell grant, may do the trick.
Edit that you’re in AZ
Virtually no Calif schools will work.
NYU will not work.
You need to explain to your DD that she needs a strategic app list.
She also needs to retest…she can get test wavers from school now that she probably qualifies for free lunch. It doesn’t matter that you’re still married, you’re separated.
She can’t just borrow the rest of the money w/o a cosigner.
She’s a model? How much is she earning each year??
She needs to cut down her list and eliminate crazy reaches and financial reaches (Stanford, UCs, etc). ''Stanford will require her dad’s info…and that won’t work…plus her ACT isn’t high enough.
She’ll get around 4 application waivers from her school, but how would she pay for the rest?
The New Mexico schools can be very generous with merit.
I don’t see any Calif school giving her enough merit/aid…see if St. Mary’s of California would give her free tuition.
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The prior-prior year income used in financial aid forms may be a problem if your income was recently high, though.
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Why would dad’s income be used? They’re separated.
I’m sorry for your recent family crises’. It’s really unfair to you and your children to be placed in this predicament; please know that you can only do the best that you can.
So now, you must think with your head and not your heart. Sorry to say this but, neither your daughter, nor you, can afford to be picky at this stage. She needs to realize that if she doesn’t have high test scores, she may not get into schools that would fund her.
She needs higher test scores and, she should look first to the state schools.
If she looks out of state, she needs to look at those schools that are NOT funded by taxpayer dollars. That means that the publics won’t be good options. The privates may have more funds but she would have to increase those scores.
The UC’s and CSU’s are public universities, funded by taxpayer dollars, whose priorities are funding in-state residents.
They will charge you $60K and $40K per year, respectively. No, their paltry merit dollars are not enough to fund a year of education.
The best place to start would be your in-state privates and publics.
Does she have any proof that she is separated?
^ They’re living apart (with the intent to stay apart forever). For FAFSA purposes at least, that is more than enough.