<p>Thank you to all who commented.</p>
<p>First, my frustration is that FASFA does a wholesale exclusion from consideration any income by a noncustodial parent - regardless of involvement, income, or assets. Clearly, when this system was designed it must have been to address the situation of the kids who have noncustodial parents who are “deadbeats” for want of a better term. I commend the parents who have responded that raised their children to be successful students as single parents. I also raised a child as a single parent and know the challenges. I applaud FASFA for not excluding from consideration from financial aid, the children of deadbeat parents, obviously recognizing that deadbeat parents are not going to provide tax returns and financial information. Thats appropriate.</p>
<p>What is not appropriate is a system that subsidizes the education of children from wealthy parents via the wholesale exclusion from consideration the income of noncustodial parents who have been supporting their children regardless of income, assets and ability to pay - while at the same time, considering the income of married parents who have similarly been supporting their children. Wheres the rationale? How is this fair?</p>
<p>Child support obligations do terminate at the age of eighteen - for all parents - regardless of custody arrangements. Thats simply the law because they are considered adults. Yet, children of married parents compete for financial aid with the children of divorced parents - even if one of those divorced parents is quite wealthy - resulting in those children receiving less financial assistance, students and married parents struggling to pay high costs of college (with many of the parents nearing retirement age), and graduating with crippling educational loans. </p>
<p>Financial aid is a finite resource. It should be allocated appropriately.</p>
<p>I know of another instance where the child has lived with his mother his entire life. They never married. His father is a wealthy professional who owns a home worth in excess of two million dollars, has no other children, and has supported the mother and the child his entire life. They have always had a very close relationship. They enjoy vacations, each own their own home, and have all the luxuries one would want. The mother has had the benefit and leisure of working only part time. She has filled out the FASFA using only her income and has proudly proclaimed that the father will give the child the same child support money that he paid for his own use and enjoyment in college or bankit for him to be received on graduation. They can do this apparently. While I shudder at the massive cost of education that I will be paying for my child - because I stayed married - and have many sleepless nights worrying about it. </p>
<p>Please do not assume that all divorced parents have adversarial relationships; or that all married parents enjoy a consistently harmonious decision-making process when it comes to their children. . </p>
<p>It is shameful that wealthy parents can take advantage of a system that was clearly created to address the situations of deadbeat parents. </p>
<p>A system that facilitates and enables this must be changed.</p>
<p>The young lady who began this post recognizes that something is terribly wrong here. She feels guilty and concerned enough to initiate this post. One must wonder what children learn when many of their peers cannot afford to attend college and have financially struggling married parents and/ or will be saddled with massive educational loans while others who are the product of divorced or unmarried noncustodial parents who are wealthy have their education subsidized - and their parents continue to enjoy expensive homes, luxuries, and lavish vacations. And, instead of graduating with student loans, they are handed a passbook to a bank account.</p>
<p>Remember, the children are watching. What lessons are learned here?</p>