So here’s the situation for me currently, my parents are divorced but my mom is middle income (makes around 80000k per year) and I don’t know how much my father makes, possibly even 300,000, but it’s uncertain but definitely a lot. The situation is between my parents that basically my father will not contribute that much to financial aid after 18, and I think I provided evidence for that (didn’t pay for many of my key educational ventures/various other expenses throughout my high school years besides child support), but I’m not completely sure. My mom also has full custody, and my dad is not obligated to pay any child support after I’m 18 and already has stopped paying much of it. So I sent in my CSS non custodial parent waiver form for Williams, one of my dream schools, and it got rejected. However, Northwestern, still pretty high on my schools list but not my dream school, did not reject that waiver form, and gave me a generous financial aid package, around 42k per year. So I’m wondering, will Northwestern see my CSS non custodial parent form and give me less of a good financial aid package? I’m just afraid that will happen, because I don’t want to miss out an opportunity to go to one of my dream schools because of financial aid.
If you were not required to submit the non-custodial parent Profile to Northwestern, they will not see the it.
BUT here is what I would check. Do you need to get this waiver every year? Is there any chance it won’t be granted in subsequent years?
Should I hold out and wait for Williams to give me a financial aid package then? I really want to be able to go to Williams with a decent financial aid package so my mother won’t be as stressed and lonely after I go to college.
Have you been accepted to Williams?
If they didn’t accept your non-custodial parent waiver…and your dad earns $300,000 a year…what makes you think you will get need based aid from Williams?
Didn’t you say Northwestern gave you $42,000 in aid?
The bigger question is…do you have a way to pay the $30,000 remaining cost to attend annually?
At this point…wait until you have your aid packages and then make a decision.
So let me get this straight… are you saying that your non-custodial father completed and submitted the NCP Profile for Williams, but you asked for and were granted an NCP waiver by Northwestern so that your father’s financial information isn’t required in order for you to be eligible for need-based aid there (even though that information has already been produced for another school)?
Yes, but I gave reason why he wouldn’t pay. And no, I did not send in my CSS profile for my father yet. My problem is that waiting period, I don’t know if northwestern will be able to see my CSS profile for non custodial parent and then change the financial aid on me. I’m scared that will happen I guess.
@BelknapPoint no no I think you have it all wrong. Northwestern bases their aid on my custodial parent, my mom and I think they approved my waiver form so my dad doesn’t have to send it in. I might be wrong, as I think someone said they only base their aid off of the custodial parent. I’m pretty sure my father has not completed the CSS form for Williams, and has not completed the NCP form. The information has not been produced yet for any school I applied to. All I sent in are my waiver forms.
Did you complete the CSS and submit it to Northwestern?
I’m surprised NU gave you a FA package if your CSS wasn’t completed, and I’d be surprised if they accepted your request for a waiver because your father’s legal obligation to pay child support ended at 18. That’s common, and in fact most parents, married or not, have little obligation to support their adult offspring after 18. There are a few states that require it (NJ for college tuition but only for instate in NJ; NY has an obligation for room and board but it’s complicated).
I had no obligation to support my children after they graduated from high school, but I like them so I did.
What form are you talking about? If your dad completed the Noncustodial Profile it will get sent to all your schools.
Northwestern doesn’t base their aid on just the custodial parent. They require the NCP. They don’t grant waivers because parents don’t want to pay or are no longer legally required to support the student. Unless you got a waiver your dad has to submit it. If he doesn’t, no aid will be disbursed.
You need to find out what the waiver request you sent to Northwestern said and what the status of the request is. You’re responsible for the information and if it’s incomplete or inaccurate you’ll be required to repay any money you receive. When you file a waiver for sophomore year they’ll review all the information and if they determine you shouldn’t have gotten aid as a freshman your account will be put on hold until you pay them back. So it’s in your best interest to understand what each college needs to know about your finances and make sure they have an accurate accounting of it.
Did you redo your NCP waiver request after Williams declined it? Did you have the same reasons for the NCP waiver request for both schools?
What reason did you put on the waiver request form to Northwestern that it got approved? Something just isn’t right with this story. Clearly, you know where your dad is, etc. He will need to do the non-custodial Parent Profile for Williams (you know…it’s getting late don’t you?), you already know that.
You are worried Northwestern will see the non-custodial Parent Profile?
Frankly, this is weird. What was the reason you gave on the Williams form that got it approved? What was the reason you put on the NU form that did NOT get it approved? Same info?
- Did you submit the Profile to Northwestern?
- Have you received a financial aid package, the official one, from Northwestern?
- Did you receive notification from Northwestern that your non-custodial waiver was approved?
- What makes you think your non-custodial waiver request was approved at Northwestern?
- Have you checked your spam folder and student portals for information regarding this waiver from Northwestern.
- Where did you get the “$42,000” in aid from Northwestern? Was that your written financial aid notification AFTER acceptance, or was that what the net price calculator said with only your mom?
- And about Williams...what makes you think you will get aid there?
Oops…too late to edit.
What was the reason on the Williams waiver request that got denied?
What was the reason on the waiver request to Northwestern that you think got approved?
And if you “think” Northwestern doesn’t use non-custodial parent Profile information, you are wrong. That would only be the case if a non-custodial parent waiver is granted. So the “someone” who told you that NU used only custodial parent was…wrong.
Read what @austinmshauri wrote.
If you falsify a speck of information on the financial aid forms, or a waiver request…and get need based aid because if it…that is considered dishonest. Colleges frown on dishonesty. So make sure you are telling the truth. Otherwise you run the risk of not only losing aid, but also losing your admissions spot.
And lastly…the Profile and FAFSA forms were available for your completion and submission on October 1. Why is this being addressed NOW? It should have been done LONG ago.
Are you expecting any college to jump through hoops to get your financial aid award in time to make a May 1 matriculation decision? It’s April 4. Clearly, you missed their financial aid submission deadlines.
‘I had no obligation to support my children after they graduated from high school, but I like them so I did.’
???
Best answer:
Everyone who has an Ex or a NCP that won’t help pay for college because CS ends at 18 needs to save that quote and share that with these NCPs that won’t help!
The OP says the dad is no longer paying child support…but…what about spousal support?
And anyway…what happened to the OP?
We could give better advice if the OP would answer at least some of the questions…
And one other thing…the custodial parent and student send in the non-custodial profile waiver request…not the non-custodial parent.
It’s up to the colleges to determine what they want as documentation for the purposes of granting this waiver. But simply “did won’t pay” is not going to get a waiver granted.