<p>Just wondering if anyone can comment on their experience with EFC from divorced parents. Everything I read says to do the NPC for each family. Do schools take into account that often there is support already being paid to the custodial parent and I wonder how much weight that carries in the end. My EFC is around $7K, but when I plug in D's non-custodial's income, his EFC is $36K, for a total of $43K. Not happening lol. I also wonder how much weight they put on a non-committed/no marriage relationship. OR...is it all black and white? Would like to hear real experiences from the divorced parents out there if you would share.</p>
<p>The net proce calculators are not accurate for divorced families. </p>
<p>But if the college requires non-custodial parent financial information, they will use the non-custodial parent income in their formula when computing need based aid.</p>
<p>Re: non-committed relationships…if it’s the bio parent living with you, you report both parent info on the FAFSA regardless of your marital status.</p>
<p>Schools that require the FAFSA only will not ask for the non-custodial parent information…at least not on the FAFSA. Some schools do have their own forms for this…or use the Profile and Non-custodial parent Profile. </p>
<p>There are also Profile schools that do not require or use the non-custodial parent form.</p>
<p>We found that we did slightly better than adding the COAs together showed (a few thousand dollars better0. But not a lot… don’t count on it at Profile schools that require the NPC (or their own non-custodial form).</p>
<p>Thank you both for your insight. </p>
<p>@Intparent, that is what I assumed, maybe a small savings. I’m trying to get an idea of how each school looks at it and if they are very different views. My D is applying to the school your D attended so that’s good to know. </p>
<p>I think you may have misunderstood thumper1…bio dad has never lived with us, he has contact/visits and pays child support but he and I were never committed in any way other than friendship. We are both married (now) to other people.</p>
<p>I think the fact that you and he are now both married to other people affects the EFC as well? I think @thumper1 could shed some light? I seem to remember that poster had some insight</p>
<p>Right, its two 2-adult households. For FAFSA, it is stepfathers and my income including child support, that is used in calculations. Its only the NCP that concerns me.</p>
<p>The instructions I have seen, say to do each parent separately and add up the results, subtracting out certain duplicate items, like the expected student contribution. I do not recall if NCP PROFILE asks for child support/alimony numbers that get subtracted from the NCP’s income and added to the Custodial Parent’s. </p>
<p>It’s difficult, if not impossible to predict what a school will do with NCPs in the picture, if a parent owns a business, or any other unusual situation is present. Some times, it’s a pleasant surprise, but you absolutely cannot count on that.</p>
<p>My friend did not think her son would get ANY aid at all because her income alone precluded it on most NPCs. Her ex makes very little money, so their son made sure he spent more nights at dad’s than at his mothers the year before filing the fin aid forms, though the mom was the custodial parent. It was a very nice surprise that the son did get some aid from some PROFILE schools that asked for NCP info. Apparently, some schools do not count NCP info the same way as it does that for the CP. As near as she could tell, some school’s expected her to pay about half the cost, and them gave fin aid for the other half based on the ex’s and the student info. This did not show up on the NCPs at all when she ran them. This was last year. But the aid packages were all over the map from schools. Some of the schools that tend to be the most generous did hit require her to pay most of the cost as the NCP earning in the $200K range, but some did not. </p>
<p>We saw on this board last year, a student who was given no aid by Swarthmore, a very generous school in terms of aid, due to a family business situation. Though the student appealed the decision, the school would not budge. But Carlton viewed it differently, and the student got a generous financial package making the cost about what a state school would be for him. It just all depends on the particular formula a school uses. </p>
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<p>Are you asking if the fact that the bio parents were never in a relationship matters? No it doesn’t. You’re both the child’s parents and both of you have been providing for that child.</p>
<p>All four parents’ incomes will count…bio parents’ and steps’</p>
<p>If you know that the NCP household will not be contributing, then tell your child now that schools that require NCP info will not work out. </p>
<p>That can make it difficult to find schools that will work unless she gets into Vandy or UChi or a school that gives huge merit for her stats.</p>
<p>Yes, to complicate things even further, my husband opened a small business in 2013 that isn’t reaping much income so who knows how that will pan out in the mix as well.</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids: She is aware of what our (hers and mine) ceiling for college cost is. Her dad isn’t forthcoming. So, I’ve decided to let her “cast her net wide” knowing full well that in the end it will come down to just how much more bio will chalk up over and above his support payments. He and I have talked, he’s a bit devastated at the costs. Apparently his two older girls (15 and 16 years old than D) only applied to the state school and their mother made next to nothing so they paid next to nothing. But I’m going to let him be either the good guy or the bad guy…its between the two of them in the end. I’ve done my part in researching and visiting and being transparent. We actually have at least three schools that I know D will do very well at that I’m 90% sure will come back affordable for her and I. First choice, no, but good choices nonetheless.</p>
<p>@ctpofthehouse: Thank you, that’s the kind of specific information I was looking for. Our instate flagship will be about $27K so that’s a number we are looking at closely for comparison with other schools.</p>
<p>Some schools, like UChicago (recent change in policy) do not use the NCP’s financials. Duke will cut some slack when there are steps and bio parents involved, Vanderbilt, I believe, does not use NCP financials even though it is a PROFILE school. Boston U is a school that was generous for my friend in assessing NCP fiancials. These things turn on a dime, and so I’m just relating “grapevine” info. Have to check it all out yourself, and the bottom line comes with the financial aid package. </p>