CSS Profile Non-Custodial Parent Waiver Process

Paying for College
1

Hello. If you’ve applied for a CSS Profile Non-Custodial Parent Waiver, I would love to hear your story. My son is interested in Reed, Pitzer, Pomona, Occidental, Stanford…

My son’s father and I were never married. The father lived out of state during the first ten years of child’s life, thus they never developed a strong father-son bond. Father moved back to our home state in 2010. Father’s relationship with son is more avuncular than paternal.

Our child support payments are court ordered and wage-garnished; everything but voluntary. The payments will cease when child graduates from high school. In the course of obtaining child support payments, I also obtained documentation showing that the father diverted income to avoid the full guideline amount of child support. I’ve endured years of lengthy and frivolous litigation in his attempt to reduce child support.

The non-custodial parent enjoys an annual income in the range of $200,000. However, I am clear that he has no intention of contributing financially beyond the purview of what is legally required. In California, a parent’s legal obligation ends at the age of eighteen.

I am a public school teacher, I earn a moderate income and I have saved for college. I would very much like to pay for my son’s education according to my ability level; however, it would be impossible for me to pay according to the NCP’s ability level.

Effectively, I have been child’s only parent. I have packed every lunch; attended every doctor’s appointment, parent teacher conference and sporting event. I pretended to be Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, and interested at the end of a long day. I have been his only parent. At this final, yet critical, stage of the parenting journey, it would be ironic and devastating to have the NCP included as a parent. His physical involvement has been minimal.

If you’ve applied for a CSS Profile Non-Custodial Parent Waiver, I would love to hear your story. Thank you so much.

2

Based on what you wrote, it is unlikely that your child will be approved for a non-custodial waive. I recommend that you have a list of schools where you will not need non custodial information and places where your son stands a good chance of obtaining merit money.

Even if your ex, should fill out the CSS profile, it does not obligate him to pay for college

3

Thanks for the reply. I’ve been hearing that often, NCP requirement is in the college’s stated policy, but many schools will look at each family on a case-by-case basis. Have you applied?

4

Many schools do look at the waiver process on a case by case basis. While you cannot force your ex to have a relationship or form an emotional bond with your child (there are intact families where children and parents really do not have an emotional bond with one another), your NCP does provide financial support and is known to you and your child and you can contact him if you need to.

You also stated that your child has a relationship, maybe more like an indulgent uncle than father, but a relationship, none the less. There are also many intact families where parents refuse to pay for their children to attend college, especially colleges that cost upwards of 60k/year.

If you already know that your ex will not contribute, apply of you want, but be prepared for the fact that you may not receive a waiver. Have your son apply to schools based on what you know you will be able to pay for college. Again, make sure your son has some financial safeties, along with schools where he can get merit $$.

5

sybbie719. Any suggestions on what those schools might be? West coast LAC. Son is very high achieving.

6

Start with the link at the top:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1678964-links-to-popular-threads-on-scholarships-and-lower-cost-colleges.html#latest

7

Most LACs require the NCP. And few give very large merit awards. What state are you in?

8

intparent: California

9

Sorry, I see that in your original post now. You are very lucky to live in a state with a strong public university system. LACs are going to be tough given your NCP situation. I’d take a hard look at UCs and CSUs for choices he could be happy with and that would be more affordable.

10

Is your son a senior or junior? What is his ACT or SAT and GPA? How much can you pay each year for 4 years (excluding the AOTC)?

11

Madison85 Freshman. PSAT 1710. GPA 3.8 with honors classes

12

[QUOTE=""]
The non-custodial parent enjoys an annual income in the range of $200,000. However, I am clear that he has no intention of contributing financially beyond the purview of what is legally required. In California, a parent’s legal obligation ends at the age of eighteen.

[/QUOTE]

Sadly, this situation is no different than intact families where high income parents refuse to pay for college, and in those cases, colleges don’t provide just because parents won’t pay.

Colleges don’t care if child and parent don’t live in the same states. Colleges don’t care that the parents were never married. Parents are parents.

In this case, the dad has been paying support.

since your son is only a frosh, I suggest that you explain to him this likely trouble with schools that are on his list…and help him find other schools that won’t require his dad’s info or dad paying. He can still “try” with a couple of these schools, but he needs to look at those attempts as “lottery” situations…don’t count on them. (and many/most/all of those schools don’t give merit scholarships).

Since he is a frosh and has a good score for a frosh, then he has the potential to improve by a few hundred points by the time he’s a senior, which can qualify him for large merit awards at OTHER schools.

It’s best to find this stuff out now, before a child really gets his heart set on a school. BTW…it’s best that a child NOT get their heart set on any particular school…that is just too risky.

Stay on CC and identify some schools that will likely be affordable due to merit or aid based only on YOUR income. Visit those schools.

13

Hi! First of all, I totally get you, have been in a similar situation, welcome to CC.

Have you done a search? One mom had a very useful topic going on her process with NCP waivers a few months ago (unfortunately an angry dad got it shut down with side arguments). I don’t think the thread was deleted though, so may still be here. It was very specific and helpful.

Beyond that, our own strategy has been to apply to the very tiny number of schools that don’t necessarily require NCP info but do meet need (Vanderbilt, Albright and I hear U Chicago though she didn’t apply), also a handful that give guaranteed full tuition merit for her stats, and then roll the dice with the rest. In our case her NCP did do the CSS paperwork (so far, we’ll see if it gets done with tax forms and all) and his income doesn’t immediately rule out affordability as your NCP’s sounds like it might. I am not doing the waiver process now, since he did the form, so I can’t give you much firsthand advice.

I’ll see if I can find that thread.

14

I bet I know who that was…

15

Well you don’t have to bet @intparent, I found the thread. OP, I hope it is of some use even though your situations are different: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17485623/#Comment_17485623

16

Surprise, surprise…

17

Thanks for the responses. I point out that NCP and I were never married, lived out of state, etc. to give a sense of the avuncular relationship between father and child. As I understand it, some schools will consider the relationship.

18

Have you heard of anyone being granted the waiver? And if so, what were the circumstances? What school?

I recently heard of one kid at Occidental with a combination of four attorney parents; the kid was awarded half off of his 60k tuition (need based) because his mom has an enormous mortgage and 70k in consumer debt. So if that type of awarding is going on, then my truly need-based single-mom circumstances should merit some financial aid…

19

Kind of doubt that story, honestly. Consumer debt does not seem to elicit ANY sympathy from colleges. But I bet all the parents filled out the forms, too, if the kid did get aid. And it is possible that all parents were not working, had low income (not all attorneys make a lot!), they had not saved anything, had high medical bills you don’t know about, etc… Colleges know that some divorced families have “played” them in the past when the NCP parent had a lot of assets and didn’t want to pay. They have rules about this for a reason, there have been past abuses.

Plus… tuition is not $60K. He may have gotten half tuition, but that is not going to be half off the total cost ($60K includes room & board).

20

Yeah… They are paying 30k