Hi! I’m a high school senior applying to Questbridge 22’. I really am interested in becoming a finalist. I am not too reliant or expecting to be matched with a school as that is definitely more selective (although, that would be amazing). For now, I really hope to be a finalist.
My parents are divorced and I live with my mother (family of 3) who makes ~50k and receives no child support. I am able to qualify for QB with my mother’s income-- it makes sense as she is my sole provider. However, my father makes ~70k (family of 2) and I would not qualify for QB with their combined incomes (~120k family of 5).
Nevertheless, I decided to give it a shot for the QB prep scholars program. I applied to the QB Prep Scholars program as a junior and got rejected. On this application, I did provide an estimate of my NCP income. I am fairly confident that my father’s income is what hindered my application.
I am aware that QB requires the non-custodial parent (NCP) income with the exception of no history of contact. Since my mother is my sole provider and has received no support from my father, do I still have to continue to put his income on my application? I understand that financial aid is based off what the parents are able to pay, not what they want to pay. However, if I am able to provide proof of history of non-support, will that be an exception for providing NCP income?
I have around weekly contact with my father. However, my mother receives no child support and has evidence of a 4-year history of general non-support from my NCP. It’s just frustrating that I qualify for QB and have lived with an income of ~50k with my mother’s income but I may not qualify due to having to report my NCP income.
Is it possible that QB calculates NCP income at a lower rate than CP income?
Questbridge will use both your parents income. Even if you were to somehow slip through to QB finalist, all of the partner schools will require the CSS profile.
With your parents combined income, you are not eligible for QB, at all.
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Agree with the above. Questbridge is not for you, you do need to include your dad’s income because he is in your life…even if he is not providing child support. All QB partners will require CSS Profile and I don’t see any granting an NCP waiver if you are seeing your dad weekly.
This is a likely a larger problem than QB for you, especially if your dad isn’t contributing to college costs. You will have to limit your college search to non-CSS Profile schools, or to CSS schools that don’t require NCP info. Here is the list of CSS schools, sortable by those that don’t require NCP info…do verify this info on each school’s website. CSS Profile Participating Institutions and Programs
Thanks for the reply! Yeah, unfortunately, I realize that now. I was hoping maybe there was some exception to not having to include NCP info if they have a history of non-support. It’s understandable that NCP is required, though.
Thanks for the reply and the link! I’ll be sure to use that in my college search.
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Remember schools that don’t use the profile for institutional aid, will probably use their own forms. The profile is simply a repository for collecting information so that the financial information is available to any of the member schools that the student applies to instead of having the student file multiple financial aid applications.
This is where they will ask for the income and assets of both parents. Unfortunately, parents having a history of not paying child support is not a valid reason to get a non-custodial waiver.
Besides Princeton, do you have examples of non-CSS Profile schools that require NCP financials?
Some schools will absolutely grant NCP waivers in this case. It’s not certain, but it is possible and have personally seen this granted not uncommonly.
IME, I have not seen a waiver given on the basis of a parent not paying child support and I write waiver letters.
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