Hi, I was wondering for the Clarity question must I actually add the second parent if they do not live in the same country as I do and don’t contribute financially like at all. If there’s anyone who’s had the same experience or thinks they could help that would be amazing! I’ll also email schools about it.
Two acquaintances of mine had recent experience with this (so take my words with the appropriate grain(s) of salt).
One involved a non-contributing parent who lived and worked overseas and was a non-US citizen, while the other involved a US citizen who lived here in the US.
The answer seemed to be “it depends on the school “.
In both cases, several schools followed up for more information. (Hard to say how many or what percentage of schools did so because I was only involved as a sympathetic ear to the applicant’s parent in each case.)
At least one school requested contact information for the non-contributing parent and chased that parent to complete a profile in Clarity even though they were indicating that they were not “able” to support the applicant. That caused a fair amount of drama, including a financial aid application that was still incomplete in the week before March 10.
On the other end of the spectrum, more than one school accepted minimal documentation from the custodial parent to show that the other parent was neither obligated to contribute nor voluntarily contributing to the applicant’s expenses.
Given the drama and stress that was involved in both cases, it seems prudent to disclose upfront whatever info is available about the non-contributing parent and to be prepared to be asked for documentation to back up the absence of support.
It’s also worth noting that most schools are need-aware, and glitches or irregularities or whatever in the financial aid profile will likely impact admission. It’s not fair, but it’s something to be conscious of.
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I went through this last year and yes clarity required information from both parents. My child’s father who lives in another country had to provide all contact details, employer info, bank account statements, letter from employer stating salary, car information, home value, and debt information. Feel free to private message me with any questions.
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Thank you so much! I’ll email FA offices to make it very clear that she won’t contribute, I added to my additional info section in Gateway the whole parent situation so hopefully the admissions officers will also be aware.
Thank you and will do in the coming months!
There is a section in the clarity application where both you and the parent can state who financially contributes. It is my understanding that the schools do expect both parents to contribute if they have the means to do so even if they don’t have a legal obligation to. Its different if that parent doesn’t have the means.
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