Curious if anyone knows of a legal precedent where a long-term step-parent is legally compelled to cooperate in the CSS financial aid process for private schools and colleges.
Have other families on this board encountered this problem and if so what remedies did they find successful?
Thanks!
Legally compelled, no. Are you asking about colleges? All your other posts are about prep schools.
I know of no such precedent and I doubt one exists. That said, schools can ask applicants for any financial aid-related information that they want. I don’t think there are any laws forbidding them from considering certain kinds of assets and income.
@rosered55 You are correct about schools being able to ask for whatever information they want. My understanding is for private schools and colleges it is their financial aid gold and they make whatever golden rules they want about giving it out.
@"Erin’s Dad" I am asking about both. I’m dealing with the situation right now as it relates to prep school but am concerned about setting a “pattern” that will stand into college. My guess is the case law for college on this matter would likely be applicable for private secondary school as well. I did find this reference http://www.lifemanagement.com/fsa11.1.920/ article and there does seem to be some new law being generated on the topic.
Thanks to both of you for chiming in!
@divdad
I don’t know what your situation is, but if there is a step-parent (maybe you?) who has no intention of providing info for FA consideration, I hope the child and bio parent knows that ASAP.
The schools will NOT process the FA apps w/o required info.
So, if the SP is a custodial parent, then not even FAFSA can be filed. If the SP is married to the NCP, then schools that require NCP info will not process the FA app that requests need-based aid.
The only situation I can imagine where a stepparent is legally compelled to produce financials for school aid is when there is a prenup or other contract, signed and in place, specifying the such.
Schools have their own requirements as to what information they insist on having and their own ways of doing things. Stepparents’ financial information is needed if that person is married to the custodial parent of a dependent looking to get when if comes to FAFSA. For most CSS PROFILE schools, the same, and for those (most of them) that also require non custodial parent info, a step parent married to the non custodial parent is also asked to provide his/her financial info I am trying to avoide the word “required” because the step parent or the parents, for that matter, are not legally required to give any info, or pay, (again unless some legal contract is in place), but the student cannot get financial aid unless the info is given, and the assets/income of steps are often taken into account when calculate the expected contributions from the student and family.
What does your parent say?
No parents, married, divorced, remarried, widowed, are required to complete any financial aid forms for any student. And none of the parents are required to pay a dime for prep school or college.
I know you aren’t asking for this opinion…but prep school is a choice. You can attend public high school at no cost to either parent. Maybe if you did that, they would be more willing to,discuss college funding.
Private colleges are also a choice. No student must attend a $60,000 a year college…again, that’s a choice. You could get your college degree by attending a local community college and commuting…then finishing at an inexpensive four year public university.
Choices, choices.
Bottom line…your family gets to set an education budget, and you need to adhere to it.
Hate to ask the obvious- but why would a longterm step parent NOT want to do everything he or she could to send their step kid to college (up to and including participating in the financial aid application process?)
Some long term step parents went into a relationship and marriage with the understanding that any stepchildren would require little from them. Many have no idea that their financial situation would be taken into account for college financial aid. Many don’t foresee these issues at all.
My friend married her DH a number of years ago, when his then small children were in the custody of their mother who lived cross country. There was child support and summer/holiday visits. It was understood that the financials would not involve my friend when it came to the children. She has a child from her former marriage, and the prenuptial signed made it very clear where the division of finances and assets would be. My friend had money that she had inherited from her parents untimely deaths, that she had earmarked for her daughter and for future plans that she had for self and spouse, but not for any stepchildren that she saw for maybe a month or 6 weeks at most each year.
All was well until the one of the stepchildren became of college age. PROFILE schools wanted my friends’ financials as well as her daughter’s. Apparently, the ex had not saved anything for college, and hit a rough spot financially. Friend’s DH did help out so that the bottom did not fall out giving much more than child support so that the children could stay in place as they preferred to do so. But they drew the line at college expenses. But the colleges did not look at it that way. It was not something that went over well at all.
@blossom - there are some kids whose bio and custodial parents refuse to fill out forms or contribute to college costs. never mind step-parents.
Remember – even though the step-parent submits information,there is nothing that requires the step-parent to step-up and contribute towards the cost of college. (Same is true of the non-custodial parent or even the custodial parent.)
One option: live with the other parent the year before applying for aid.
This student is talking about private colleges, and prep schools. Many require the information from the non-custodial parent…so living with the other parent might not do a speck of good in the long run in terms of college funding…or prep school funding.
In reading the other posts by divdad, it sounds like this is the parent posting…not the kid.