Hi, I’m a junior in high school, and I was wondering if there is some way to calculate financial aid that is a little more in-depth than the NPC, specifically for Rice (though using it for other schools would be helpful, too). I was filling out the form and didn’t feel like it accurately described my situation. My parents are divorced, but one got remarried and thus I have multiple step-siblings, one of my parents has a mortgage but the other does not (on separate properties), etc. Should I contact the school and ask?
It is very possible that the net price calculators will not be accurate for you…given that your parents are divorced, and one remarried.
Look on the Rice website for their NPC. If it has questions about parent marital status, and you are able to accurately enter all the parent info…then it will be a better estimate.
https://npc.collegeboard.org/app/rice is Rice’s net price calculator, using the College Board template. It does ask if your parents are divorced. You need to put in the income and assets for both of your parents into it. If you are not sure how to fill it in, contact Rice’s FA department for instructions.
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2083835-faq-divorced-parents-financial-aid-and-net-price-calculators.html has more general information on the divorced parent situation.
The thing to know is what you think is fair (new family, new siblings, new house, another mortgage) isn’t necessarily relevant, Your NCP still is your parent and on the hook for college contributions. Even if he or she has a new family. Do you know the assets and income information? Have you sat down and talked about budget? Rice is by the by really, as it is so competitive, it is the schools with likely admission you need to be able to afford.
Where are you instate?
What are your stats?
Are you living with the parent that has remarried?
The income and assets of both your parents are going to be considered, including the income and assets of the new spouse, for the parent that has remarried.
Do you have any schools on your list that only require FAFSA? Or don’t require the non custodial parent form for the CSS profile?
For your custodial parent (the one you live with 51% of the time…or more). Is that parent remarried? What is their annual income? Do the step siblings live WITH you? Where do they live?
Yes, it really, truly is OK for you to contact the financial aid office at Rice (or any other place you are interested in), and discuss the best ways to get an estimate for a possible aid package.
As an FYI, WashU offered a form that could be completed before application to estimate NPC. There was a non-custodial component. They may not be on your list, but it might be an option to take advantage of as a frame of reference. Lastly, the only school we found with an online NPC to account for this was Princeton. Hindsight, they are more generous than the avg school, so not helpful as a frame of reference.