<p>She will be applying for colleges next year (will be a senior) and I am trying to help her out with financial aid.</p>
<p>She lives with my brother (stepparent) and her mom, dad is in the picture. No one has much money (and they all have debt) so paying a ton for college is not in the picture. My guess is that the EFC will be high for IM colleges -- Stepparent and Dad both work. Stepparent probably makes $50,000 and dad probably makes $30,000. Mom doesn't work at all. Stepparent and mom own a house. dad rents. other than that --limited assets.</p>
<p>I am thinking she is better off to apply to FAFSA only schools -- am I correct in that they don't count stepparent or non-custodial parents income and asset.</p>
<p>I am trying to get hard figures from the parents -- but in the meantime, I am looking for suggestions. Merit scholarships are probably not a possibility (GPA of 3.0, tests not taken yet).</p>
<p>FAFSA-only schools tend to look only at the income from the custodial parent and his/her spouse. Some LACs do have institutional forms which seek the information of the non-custodial parent also, so you should check with fin aid offices to see. However, the non-custodial parent is not going to add a great deal in this picture with an income of $30,000 and no assets. If your niece is willing to see that the options might be limited after the aid packages came through, there would be no real harm done applying to IM schools. (There will be added costs, of course, as the Profile costs as do other apps.) I would recommend doing financial aid calculators such as the one on <a href="http://www.finaid.org%5B/url%5D">www.finaid.org</a> using both the IM and Federal Methodologies to get a heads-up!</p>
<p>I wouldn't rule out schools that require Profile in addition to FAFSA. In my situation, my son received better financial aid from all schools that required Profile than the schools that required just FAFSA (I was never married to his other parent and we've been separated for years). Though my son doesn't have a steparent in either parent's household, I seem to remember that the FAFSA only schools do ask for the stepparent's income. But you're correct in that FAFSA doesn't ask for the noncustodial parent's income. But it doesn't mean that a school that bases financial aid on FAFSA will give a student more money than a school that bases financial aid on Profile. The best thing to do is to go to the College Board's financial aid calculator and see what it comes up with, but always keep in mind that the actual financial aid that any school gives may vary. And to also check with the schools the student is interested in and find out from the financial aid officers how they would look aat your particular situation.</p>
<p>Yes, you know off the bat that IM schols will want the income assets of both parents and stepparents. First and foremost they will consider the income/assets of the natural parents as far as financial aid.</p>
<p>There is really no hard and fast rule for looking at stepparents. some schools will only look at the stepparent to the extent that the natural parent is "benefitting" from the marriage. </p>
<p>I would suggest running the numbers through a FA calculator to see how every thing pans out. I beleive that there are going to be 2 separate sets of EFC's one from each set of parents. Overall, you can ask the FA office how they look at stepparents and contributing to the education.</p>
<p>I think the answer is yes for FAFAS and for the PROFILE. I just looked at my son's FAFSA confirmation and it does show father/stepfather it doesn't matter if the child has been adopted by the stepparent as best as I can remember (but again my son doesn't have any stepparents). But I would count on them looking to the stepparent for a contribution.</p>
<p>The stepparent thing is not something I am familiar with (doesn't apply in my son's case).</p>
<p>My brother (her stepdad) also owns a business, so that complicates matters. I am going to have him run the numbers through the EFC calculators (I don't want to appear to be prying by finding out their financials!) and then he will let me know what EFC it shows.</p>
<p>Which calculators are the best for this? Most just say "parent's income" and make no differentiation between stepparent/custodial/non-custodial parent. When it says "parent's income -- whose do you put?</p>
<p>I have a feeling that the EFC is going to be surprisingly high for them -- but better to find out now rather than later!</p>
<p>I just looked at a book we have called "Paying for College without Going Broke." According to that book, "a step parent who resides with the custodial parent will be treated by the aid formula as if he/she were the natural parent" The book goes on to explain that it does not matter if the stepparent has adopted the child or even if they just met. If they reside together, the stepparent's income and assests are considered as if they were the natuarl parent. And this is for FAFSA & Profile.</p>
<p>One difference between Profile and FAFSA is that the Profile has a non-custodial parent form which IM schools almost always require be completed by the non-custodial parent. OP, the Profile will, in your case, ask for the mom's information and for your brother's information on the main Profile form. </p>
<p>Not to confuse the issue, but 568 schools will look at only two parents' income. Any chance your niece will look at any of these schools? </p>
<p>568 Presidents' Group Member Institutions
Amherst College
Boston College
Brown University
Claremont-McKenna College
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Emory University
Georgetown University
Grinnell College
Haverford College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Middlebury College
Northwestern University
Pomona College
Rice University
Swarthmore College
University of Chicago
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
Vanderbilt University
Wake Forest University
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Williams College
Yale University</p>
<p>I am a remarried parent of a kid who goes to Brown. Prior to his freshman year, Brown asked for my information, my new husband's information, and my son's father's information. However, they apparently just used my information and my husband's, and this year they did not ask for my ex's at all. They do reserve the right to look at it if they wish, but as a member of the 568 President's Group, they use the income/assets of only two parents.</p>
<p>I don't think that's right. Yale clearly asks for the Non-Custodial Profile. The NCP includes income from both NCP parents if the NCP has re-married. Likewise Brown asks for the NCP. There is really no way to separate the income and assets of a married couple that file a joint return. I think you misunderstood the 568 group. Their principal goal is simply to establish the definition of "need blind". We applied to Rice, Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Williams, Swarthmore, Amherst, Wellesley, UChicago, and Middlebury from that list last year and all of them require the NCP. Brown is asking for the income tax returns of both custodial and non-custodial parents for returning students this year as well, <a href="http://financialaid.brown.edu/Cmx_Content.aspx?cpId=142%5B/url%5D">http://financialaid.brown.edu/Cmx_Content.aspx?cpId=142</a>
<p>"Current Treatment: There is no consistent way of evaluating the financial need of students whose natural parents are not married to each other. While some institutions attempt to secure data from both parents in order to determine what is a reasonable contribution from each, the effort is not always successful. The process is often made more complex because of the re-marriage of one or both natural parents. In addition, Federal Methodology (FM) completely excludes non-custodial data.</p>
<p>Proposal: We propose to begin with the custodial family unit and then seek additional information concerning the non-custodial family unit. In the case of re-marriage of either or both natural parents, the standard approach would be to request the cooperation of and information from all parents and spouses. Generally, a contribution from the income and assets of no more than two parents will be expected. Institutions could exercise judgment to use information from more than two parents. Guidelines would be published for applicants in difficult circumstances who fall outside of the standard procedures."</p>
<p>Of course, this may be dealt with differently by different schools. I am only sure how Brown treated our situation, where my husband's and my information is all they required this year. (Last year, all three of us were required to submit tax returns, but not this year.) Ex's could be requested at any time, but the financial aid package was based on DH and me, at least for now.</p>
<p>thanks for the info -- I guess we are figuring it all out.</p>
<p>I think what I am having trouble with (and my parents are really having trouble with) is that my brother is going to be expected to pay quite a bit of money for college.</p>
<p>Out of the goodness of his heart and love for his wife, he has fed, clothed, sheltered and provided for his stepdaughter -- while her natural father has never given a dime. my brother has 2 younger daughters of his own that will also need college in the future and they are in that middle-class area where you don't have savings or assets to use to pay, but you have just enough assets and an income that you don't qualify for much.</p>
<p>My niece/step-niece will most likely have difficulty with paying for college and I am hoping that advanced discussion will help everyone understand how the system works (whether it is fair or not).</p>
<p>All this information has really helped! Now, my brother has to sit down with the EFC calculators and do some figuring. He owns his own successful business, but most of the money he makes goes right back into it. Much more complicated than my situation.</p>
<p>Do you think it would help for him to hire a financial aid consultant or would that be money wasted on something he could figure out himself? He has limited assets (house, few stocks) other than the business (which is a partnership).</p>
<p>I really sympathize with your brother's situation. I don't know about whether he needs a financial planner. The only thing that I wanted to add is that you mentioned that he owns his own business. I am not sure of the impact of that in dollars, but many schools ask for a business/farm supplement. We had to fill this out. It is an additional form for those that own their farms or businesses. The schools want to know the value of his business. I don't think that it has near the impact that other assets (ie:home equity) would have, but I am not sure about that.</p>
<p>Also, don't discount merit aid possibilities with a 3.0. I don't know whether knocking, say, 7500 off a 38000 bill would put a significant dent into the bill, but it is possible to get that grant. You might look for schools that offer $$ for doing community service, if she has done any of that. You could get 7500 in merit $$ based on community service.</p>
<p>Just to add- I think the business and farm supplement was a supplement to the profile. I could be wrong on that, but I know that others on cc could double check it. I fairly positive that it is a supplement form to the profile.</p>
<p>It's good that you are helping your brother, and it's very nice of you to give your time to help your step-niece this way. All of this can be very confusing the first time you go through it, and it sounds like your brother is pretty busy as an entrepeneur. </p>
<p>I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but it probably would be best if you could just try to be kind of neutral when you pass on the information, and let your brother and his wife decide how to act on it, perhaps without giving anyone else any specifics at all. </p>
<p>From what you said about how your parents are having a hard time with the idea of your brother having a high EFC for a step-child, it sounds like there is a potential for some well-intentioned "advice" from them that can end up creating a long-term rift in the family. While I can understand their concern for their natural grandchildren's future, your brother is probably feeling enough pressure right now without his parents adding more. (Though I could be reading this wrong, and he could be asking their advice, in which case I apologize).</p>
<p>One thing I want to add. It may seem to your parents that your brother's income is all "his" money, since his wife doesn't work outside the home. Although you haven't told us much about your sister-in-law, it's very rare that one spouse makes no economic contribution to a marriage, regardless of whether actual dollars and cents are attached to his or her name. Would your brother still be able to earn the same if she weren't caring for him, his possessions, and (I presume) his children? Especially with a small business involved, she may help in a thousand different ways that your brother doesn't write her a paycheck for, and perhaps may not be apparent to anyone but them...which is why evaluating the information about their EFC should be left up to them.</p>
<p>Very best of luck to you and your family. I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised by the EFC, and that you'll let us know how all of this works out.</p>
<p>conyat -- you are on the money in regards to my parents opinion and its impact on family dynamics. However, this isn't the first time their opinion has caused problems -- and my brother no longer listens to them at all, so it won't be an issue.</p>
<p>He treats his stepdaughter as his natural daughter and really has no issues about paying for it, many of my comments and questions were more to get information. It does seem a little strange that there is no qualification to the rules. what if you just married a woman with an 18 year old that was heading to college -- it would be a shock to find out you were supposed to pay alot for that kid.</p>
<p>anyway -- this info was great and it confirmed what i thought. I am letting my brother know how to figure the efc, etc and giving him some good links to info so that they can do some planning. He didn't seem surprised when I told him that he would be paying -- but like many parents, I think the amount will be surprising.</p>
<p>hsmomstef, thanks for the feedback. I was worried that I had stuck my nose a little too far in where it didn't belong. </p>
<p>One thing I hope you and your brother will consider when he has more time: your state legislature should hear from families in his situation (even if it's just a brief note) so that they can consider their experiences when making public policy decisions about child support legislation and its enforcement. It couldn't hurt to let Congress know how current policy affects them, too, since Congress sets federal student aid policy.</p>