The difficult part of need-based financial aid for you is that you have two complicating factors:
- Non-married parents. For many colleges, including most Questbridge colleges (except Chicago and Vanderbilt), both will need to fill in CSS Profile forms. If they are cooperative about that, then good for you, but you need to include both of their finances in net price calculators at such colleges. If not, then that is a problem for you at such colleges.
- Custodial parent income/assets is mainly small business. Many colleges disallow some business deductions to recalculate income higher than what it is seen on tax forms. Whether their net price calculators ask the correct questions to give an accurate estimate in this case can vary.
You may want to consider colleges with large merit scholarships (that do not depend on parent finances) for at least part of your application list.