Noncustodial Waiver

<p>My ex has not submitted CSS profile to the school where my son applied ED and the school has given me a waiver. My ex has been remotely involved. Never attended conferences, school functions, etc. but will send the occasional text. He has lived on opposite coast for past 2 years with rare visit. Any money that has ever been received has been mandated by the court. Child support has been garnished from his wages. I am not sure how to approach the waiver. Any suggestions/experience would be most appreciated. Thanks</p>

<p>Do you mean the college where your son applied or the high school has given you a waiver? If it’s the college, then you are fine in that your ex’s financials will not be included in the calculation of need from the college, other than the child support that you got from the courts in 2012.</p>

<p>I think she means the school has given her a waiver form to fill out, not granted the waiver.</p>

<p>OHMom beat me to it.</p>

<p>It will depend on the school, but since child support was paid (even if court-ordered/garnished) and you know where the NCP is, a waiver may not be granted. Waivers are supposed to be used when the NCP’s whereabouts are unknown, etc. Waivers aren’t often granted just because the NCP doesn’t want to pay.</p>

<p>It sounds like the NCP was supposed to fill out the paperwork and now won’t do it. </p>

<p>All you can do is tell the truth. That he lives across the country, there was infrequent contact, and child support was court-ordered and paid thru garnishment. </p>

<p>Garnishment in itself won’t prove anything because some states automatically garnish child support…from the get-go.</p>

<p>I agree, does your son have a Plan B if the college won’t grant the waiver? Has he received the ED acceptance yet…there is generally only a short period of time to accept or decline. Do you know how quickly the ED will make a determination on the waiver?</p>

<p>My son’s best friend was granted a waiver, and not only were the whereabouts of his father known, but his father actually paritally filled out the NCP part of the Profile, and later refused to pay anything. So the kid and his mom asked that the college waive the NCP piece of the FA award, and they did.</p>

<p>So, don’t assume people here can tell you definitively if you’ll get a waiver or not. It’s up the school. Fill it out and communicate with the college to make sure you get them what they need and that they understand you situation. That’s the only way to know for sure. My son’s friend’s mom did ask to speak to the head of FA after the first person she talked to turned her down, so polite persistence can also be helpful sometimes. Sometimes people without real authority feel like they have to say no. Someone who has it may be more inclined to say yes.</p>

<p>^^</p>

<p>right…that’s why I wrote:</p>

<p>It will depend on the school</p>

<p>There may be a school that will grant the waiver. however, there have been other posts on CC whrere waivers weren’t granted simply because the NCP’s whereabouts were unknown, etc.</p>

<p>If I were a school and an NCP wouldn’t fill out the paperwork, but could be shown to be low-income (maybe because child support was very low or whatever), then it might be easy to grant the waiver. But if the NCP has a good job with a good income, it may be harder for a school to grant a waiver simply because he won’t fill out the paperwork…otherwise all NCPs would start refusing.</p>

<p>What school is this? It may be a school with a lenient policy or a strict one…only time will tell.</p>

<p>Yes, I agree that parent income may factor into it. School resources can also play a factor. A school with deep pockets can decide to be more lenient than one where resources are limited.</p>

<p>There may be a school that will grant the waiver. however, there have been other posts on CC whrere waivers weren’t granted simply because the NCP’s whereabouts were unknown, etc.</p>

<p>oops…meant to write…whereabouts were known…</p>

<p>I agree with 2college… It likely will depend on the “deep pockets” of the school, and it may also depend on how strong the student is or how desirable the student is for the school (talent, etc). </p>

<p>the “rare visit” aspect isn’t all that important considering the NCP lives across the country. Even involved NCPs may not be able to visit often when distance is an issue.</p>

<p>I wonder why kids with parents who aren’t fully on board with paying/filling out FA paperwork are applying ED.</p>

<p>it is far easier for schools with deep pockets and who gives tons of institutional aid to waive NCP vs. schools with limited funds. With so many people affected by Sandy, there are going to be a ton of people asking for waivers, professional judgements, appeals, etc. I think these documented incidents are now going to take priority over a non-custodial parent’s unwillingness to fill out applications or pay.</p>

<p>From what I have seen so far this year, schools are becoming much more stringent about granting waivers. Remember, each school decides independently what it will/will not accept. One school granting a waivier does not mean that all schools will grant a waiver.</p>

<p>SUNY, who used to be very liberal in granting fee waivers due to economic hardships are now only granting waivers for students who are either EOP eligible or with additional documentation have a financial hardship due to Sandy.</p>

<p>Give it a try. It’s all you can do. Just make sure that your student also has schools on his/her list that are affordable even without the waiver. I hope it works out.</p>