I would strongly urge you to look at college costs in this country. They aren’t cheap. Some private schools cost way over $70,000 a year. Public out if state options can be costly too.
Some schools only give need based aid…will your daughter qualify for this? Is she a competitive applicant for these schools? They are competitive for admissions.
Maybe the dad is willing to fund a community college with your daughter commuting? Maybe he is willing to pay full freight someplace. You need to find out firmly what his financial commitment is and where the money is coming from.
If you are counting on a dad who has never spent a dime on this daughter to fully fund college…I would suggest you think about this a bit.
Your mom income will be a required submission on all financial aid application forms. Keep in mind that the vast majority of colleges do not meet full financial need for all accepted students.
Until your child has permanent residence status, she is not eligible to receive any federally funded need based aid…at.all.
Depending on your state of residence, she might not be eligible for state funded aid either. You need to check these things!
Don’t make any assumptions…work with facts only.