My dad doesn’t want to pay for my college, and neither does my mom. They are separated, and I did my mom’s income for FAFSA. For the colleges that I applied to, the net price looks a lot better if I use just my mom’s salary and not my dad’s. My mom’s is ~40k, while my dad’s ranges from 70k to 150k per year. He just bought a new house and although he said he would save money for me to go to college, he never did. But I still have to report him on the CSS profile because I live with him 40% of the time (which I don’t like and I would rather live with my mom full time, however, he is super controlling… but that’s not a topic for college confidential haha). My question is, can I sever ties with him while in college and just not report his income so I won’t have to pay as much? For a few of the schools the net price was under $5k per year, and I would be willing to take out a loan to pay that since my parents won’t. But that $5k is only with my mom’s salary, and with my dad’s that number skyrockets to $16k+ and I can’t pay that…
Your parents are separated.
What?? You live with your mom, so your mom would complete the Profile with just HER information…and your dad would complete the non-custodial parent Profile if a college requires it. You could NEVER live with your dad, and the non-custodial parent Profile would still be required.
BTW…the FAFSA would be only include your custodial parent…if your parents are separated. Did you do that correctly? Your mom would need to include any spousal or child support received in 2016 also.
NO. This won’t work. You can apply for a waiver of the non-custodial parent Profile…but really…you have no basis for such a waiver.
But that’s ONLY when you include your mom only. If a college requires your dad’s info…you need to provide it.
Then you need to pick a less costly college option.
Where did you apply?
I applied to Emory, Cornell, Middlebury, and Colby which require CSS. I also applied (and was accepted to) University of Florida and University of Central Florida, which don’t require the CSS profile. UF and UCF are the least expensive option for me. My dad filled out the CSS profile separately and I only entered my mom’s info in FAFSA, so all is well there. Thank you for answering my question. If I can’t request a waiver then UF and UCF may be my only options.
There are some css schools that won’t use your dad’s info.
And once you’re 18, your dad can’t force you to stay there.
But it doesn’t matter if you live with your dad…or not. If a college requires the non-custodial parent Profile…they require it…and you don’t have to live with your dad for one second to have to meet that requirement.
The privates you listed…require the non-custodial parent Profile. How they use this is their decision.
For the record…the net price calculators will not be accurate for you…UNLESS they specifically ask if parents re separated or divorced. Even then…take the results with a grain of salt.
You will just have to wait and see what your actual REAL aid awards are from these schools. Then you can make your enrollment decision.
If you have Bright Futures and are a FL resident…you are very fortunate!
Okay, thank you for the reply. I do have full tuition covered with bright futures which I am very grateful for. I think UF may be the best and most affordable option (this is my other account).
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