<p>honerstudent - </p>
<p>Thanks for coming back with an update! It sounds like Brown waived the NCP requirement because of the father’s complete failure to honor any of his support obligations, not just this one. It’s certainly not something a family can ever count on, and I’m sure there are other colleges that might have decided differently, but good for your child that Brown was so generous. It’s always nice to hear GOOD news in the FA forum from time to time! :)</p>
<p>Honer, </p>
<p>You were very lucky.</p>
<p>Sybbie may have been wrong in this one case, but considering your ex’s background and your story, Brown really could have decided the other way. Your ex has a good income from a trust fund, and is making child support and payments for arrearages. </p>
<p>Frankly, at many schools, the decision very likely would have gone the other way.</p>
<p>Perhaps, Brown’s decision is based on the fact that with the child support payments and arrearages payments to you from the ex, that your “contribution” is now higher, so in a “backdoor way”, your ex is “contributing.”</p>
<p>Anyway…glad that it all worked out. </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>The morale of this story is that when it comes to admission and finaid at Ivies - there are no hard rules. These schools can admit whoever they want and give as much money as they see fit. If they really want you for whatever reason - they will find a way for you to attend. Good luck to honerstudent’s kid who seems to be a very worthy student.</p>
<p>I agree, it’s great this worked out for your family. The advice often given here…go and apply, and see if the money comes forth. If it does not, be prepared to walk away.</p>
<p>Given the OPs description here of what was happening, this certainly could have gone a completely different way, and it often DOES go a completely different way.</p>
<p>One of my kids also got a presidential scholarship to a school. Where my kid was, it was a merit award and would have had nothing to do with the NCP desire to pay…or anyone else’s for that matter. It was based on academic merit, not family resources. It is exactly what kids with unpredictable financial situations should go after…they don’t need to worry about their parents’ incomes and assets, and the fluctuations from year to year.</p>
<p>Honorstudent, I am very happy that Brown came to this decision for your child. THat is NOT the usual course of events in situations like this. My very dear friend went through the exact same situation you did, with a NCP who refused to pay despite a 6 figure income, and they said, “too bad, so sad” and that was it. The state ¶ does not require support beyond age 18 or graduation for high school, and the NCP and his family refused to pay for college, and so both of my friend’s children went to state schools. They both did well and the one graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Phi Beta Kappa Key and ended up at an ivy law school and a top law firm as a partner, now some years later. So water does rise to its own level despite scumbag NCPs.</p>
<p>I think that Brown did the math and realized with the child support (for younger kids) AND arrearage payments (for large unpaid CS) that the dad WAS finally paying the mom, that the mom’s “determined contribution” was unusually high, so they just went with that as the total family contribution. Brown probably realized that with the amount that the ex was finally paying the OP (CS + arrearage payments) that to expect him to pay more towards college was unlikely affordable. </p>
<p>(back story) The courts had finally caught up with they lying ex (hiding trust fund money and trust fund income and therefore had been claiming no income), so he was finally being forced to pay the OP for minor aged kids and make payments on arrearages.</p>