<p>My parents separated five years ago, but no divorce yet (sort of a long story behind that). </p>
<p>My father REFUSES to pay any money towards my college expenses... he basically only gives money if the court orders him to. I'm also not sure at all how much he makes- probably around 40K or something, but he guards his financial information very well. He has a ton of money saved, I think, but I don't know how much or what kind of account it's in.</p>
<p>He won't fill out the CSS non-custodial profile, because he has no computer and he doesn't trust putting financial information into a computer. The guy doesn't even have a debit card. Does all his bills with paper, etc. The CSS non-custodial profile has no paper version. It would be unlikely that he would fill that out anyway- like I said, he guards the info well.</p>
<p>My mom makes around 27K. Obviously we can't really pay a whole ton towards college... She has no savings for my college (my dad has that account- but now he's not going to let me use it).</p>
<p>Has anyone else had a similar situation? How understanding are colleges? I'm just not really sure what to do because my mom doesn't really help with the college stuff (I filled out all the finaid stuff out on my own, basically).</p>
<p>Has anyone gotten a fair amount of finaid from a private college with this type of situation?</p>
<p>Are your mom and dad still negotiating terms for divorce? In some states, the divorce settlement or court order can provide for dad to pay a certain amount towards college. Anyway, call the FA office at the colleges you are interested in and tell them what your situation is. Some colleges may give you a break.</p>
<p>You should consider applying to schools that only use the FAFSA. Perhaps someone can verify this...but I think separated parents are considered the same as divorced for FAFSA purposes. On the FAFSA only the information from the custodial parent is used.</p>
<p>I think you are going to have a hard time -- basically what is happening is that your mom is willing to pay, but unable to because of her lack of savings and low income. Your dad is unwilling to pay -- so it really doesn't matter what his income and assets are. That is no different than many other kids whose dad/parents are unwilling to pay. Colleges hear that all the time.</p>
<p>Muffy had a good idea -- see if the courts can at compel your dad to fill out the forms. You may qualify to a decent amount of need if his income really is close to 40K, and some of those assets won't be counted (no retirement accounts will be counted).</p>
<p>you father can file the information without reveiling it to you or your mother, which may be a concern of his.</p>
<p>Make sure you have a solid safety school that only takes the FAFSA.</p>
<p>"She has no savings for my college (my dad has that account- but now he's not going to let me use it)"</p>
<p>What does your dad have control over that is supposed to be for your education?? Is it a custodial account (with your name on it)? Could it be the type of account he has to turn over?</p>
<p>I think most schools will waive the CSS profile for non-custodial parents if you send a letter explaining. There are several schools that only require the profile for the custodial parent. I know, my ex husband refuses to complete the profile and my daughter goes to a profile school. My son is applying to several. I plan to send letters explaining so that I can get a waiver.</p>
<p>The school is not going to penalize the student. In my case, my ex was denied 3 plus loans any how so they know he has no credit.</p>
<p>"separated parents are considered the same as divorced for FAFSA purposes."</p>
<p>That's correct, so Mom is the custodial parent since you live there more than half the time. Her income and assets are counted, Dad's aren't asked for.</p>
<p>With 27K income, and few assets, you'll likely have a very low (perhaps zero) FAFSA EFC. So I'd narrow your focus to FAFSA-only schools that have a generous record of meeting need, and that have a high grant to loan ratio. You can get those figures online at College Board.</p>
<p>(adding: separated parents are considered the same as divorced on the Profile application, as well-- but in both cases (separated and divorced) they'll ask for income/asset info on the non-custodial parent, unlike FAFSA).</p>