Fafsa looks at custodial parent.
Any school with css form will consider both of your parents.
But I would really check to make sure that legally separated but not divorced are considered equal in this process.
@mrp1027 I just did a quick internet search and it appears that if your parents are separated, then only the income of the custodial parent is what is considered on FAFSA. You may have to provide proof if there is no formal legal separation agreement, such as utility bills or a lease that documents separate residence. I would double check with a guidance counselor or some other reputable source to verify this.
However, many of the schools that you are considering also require the CSS Profile, a more detailed assessment of your family’s income and assets. This requires financial information from both biological parents, whether married or divorced. To be considered for financial aid by places like Mt Holyoke, Smith or Hampshire, both parents will need to complete this extra paperwork, which considers home equity and other investments and savings.
So before you winnow down your list (I think 8-10 is a reasonable number, BTW), do figure out the financials first. It makes no sense to apply to schools that are unaffordable. Every school has a net price calculator (NPC) and you can plug in the financial info to get an estimate of what a financial package might look like. Be advised that “meets full need” often includes substantial loans that your family may be unwilling or unable to pay. Carefully consider all of the components in a need-based package (grants/loans/work study, etc)
Good luck - this is a challenging process but hopefully you can gather together this information, find out what your parents are able to pay jointly and from there you can construct a list of viable options. Happily there are many great schools out there and I’m sure you will end up at one of them. You are showing a lot of initiative in gathering the required information.
^
Definitely keep Mount Holyoke on your list. It’s a terrific school with a deep commitment to diversity of all kinds, some generous merit and need-based aid, and a truly holistic admissions process. They will want to hear your story including why grades dropped last year.
Will your father provide his financial information for the CSS Profile schools?
The non-custodial parent could be a big issue. You have a lot of CSS profile schools on your list. Your dad’s assets and income will be taken into account at those schools.
Since you have a relationship with your dad, even if modest, it is extremely unlikely (read -not gonna happen) that CSS would grant a noncustodial waiver. So, it is strongly recommended that you confirm that your dad will fill out the form, and see if you can run schools’ NPC (and the collegeboard EFC calculator with the institutional methodology option) to get an idea of what the schools might expect you to pay and to see if that is affordable. Do you have any idea what your dad can/will contribute to your education? Do you have any idea of his income and assets? Do you have siblings?
As for LORs, consider a teacher who can address your strengths and how you managed the challenges of the year your mom (who isn’t really a single parent- she is a separated parent) lost her job had you had to work 2 jobs to help.
Also, in your supplemental section, be careful to explain, don’t excuse, the grade decline.
@mrp1027: I second the recommendation of Kenyon College.
With respect to number of college applications, 12 is a common number. Four safeties, four matches & four reaches.
@mrp1027: You don’t realize your own strengths. In an earlier post, I offered a suggested theme for your essay.
I do not see you as your numbers. But that is how some other posters view you. What is your self image ? My impression of you was initially formed from your accomplishments & goals. These were fortified by your mature handling of this thread. You are a leader & a communicator. You get things done. You use your skills, knowledge & talents.
You don’t realize what you have done. I prefer not to elaborate here as it should be the foundation of your essay.
In life, you will always receive conflicting advice. Usually there is no clear cut right or wrong answer. Life is full of choices. Rarely does one have the opportunity to accept & act on all advice offered as you do now.
P.S. I will grant the critics that Amherst College might not be the best fit for you as it is an academically intense environment. Not that you couldn’t handle the academic demands, just that that is not who you are at this point in your young life.
Kenyon College is a better fit for you. And a great school.
Kenyon will pay for you to visit. Call the admissions office and explain your circumstances to them and I am sure you will get a waiver to visit for free. I think it might be a great ED option for you. Also if you are in Ohio it should not be hard/or expensive to visit anyway. I just got back from visiting Kenyon with my youngest son a couple of weeks ago and we were both very impressed. Good Luck and I would also be willing to read any essay drafts for you if you want to pm me.
Wow, CSS definitely makes a huge difference playing around with numbers. I don’t think I’ll be able to afford a lot of schools on my list anymore.
I have one younger sibling who’s a freshman. I live with my mom full time and only see my dad on holidays. He doesn’t pay any child support and my mom pays for all my basic living expenses and such. I think by the time I start college he’s trying to have 2,000-3,000 saved up for me. My mom makes about $40,000 a year and my dad probably around $45,000 which puts me into a completely other bracket. They are not divorced, for the reason of my dad not wanting to pay child support, so he’s been putting it off for years, even though we’ve lived in separate houses since my freshman year.
I was planning on doing an internship out of state next semester for film in an area where this industry is more prevalent. Should I save this money for college? My school has a requirement where we are not allowed to get paid for the internships we do, so that’s not an option. I have about 8,000 saved up from working extra in the summer and should have maybe 12,000 by the time college comes around. Will I get less financial aid if I have this much in my account? Or does it not affect anything since it’s not my parent’s money? Would it be worth it to take out loans if I got into one of these schools?
I know that FAFSA only considers the parent you live with, even if they aren’t officially divorced, but I had no idea CSS existed and I’m not really sure what to do now. I know my mom can contribute nothing per year (and there is no chance of this at all unless its something like less that $1,000) and my dad can contribute maybe up to 2-3 thousand a year. I myself can contribute 4,000 from working in the summer and whatever I can get from working during the school year, although the whole point in going to college is so I actually have the chance to focus on school and extracurriculars and learning again and not have to spend time that should be spent studying constantly working. I won’t mind a part time job, but from the looks of it I’d need a lot more than that to even barely be able to make it.
Should I completely change my list of schools or apply and see if I get enough?
Did you run the FAFSA4caster? Are you eligible for a Pell grant?
Regarding visits, Kenyon often covers visit expenses for accepted students. This is not as likely for a student who hasn’t applied yet, unless they get into a college fly in program (often for low income and/or URM students).
It may be worth looking at colleges that only require a FAFSA for financial aid, given the non custodial parent situation. Some of the LACs on our list that I believe are FAFSA only that you may want to take a look at include:
Agnes Scott, Augustana College, Allegheny, College of St. Benedict, Earlham, Hendrix, Juanita, Luther, Marlboro, Southwestern University, St. Mary’s College - Indiana, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, University of Minnesota Morris
What’s your non custodial parent’s income?
$45,000 according to a post above. $40,000 for the custodial parent of the two young adults.
@mrp1027 I would reach out directly to the Director’s of Financial Aid at the schools you are most interested in. It is a very complicated process for everyone and they usually have their parents doing the financial piece. I am sure they will help you. Especially at some of the smaller schools like Kenyon where the admissions and financial aid people might be more accessible. Also as far as visiting, I was at Kenyon with my son a couple of weeks ago and they talked about waivers to visit even for those students who have not applied yet. They also said to reach out to them about situations where parents are separated. I would call your admissions rep or the Financial Aid director and just have a open conversation with them. Be persistent but not annoying. These people are busy but they also want to find students they know will thrive at their schools and also students who will add to their current populations in terms of different experience. I think you are one of those people and these admissions and financial aid counselors are there to help you navigate these often very tricky waters. A lot of schools want bright, first generation college students from lower income families and they understand that you might need more help understanding what you need to do to see if a school is going to work for you on many fronts including financial. Please do not hesitate to reach out individually to myself or others on here who want to help you but moreover also encourage your mother to feel free to reach out with questions.
@mrp1027 I have a relative who is a very similar family/financial situation to yours so I feel for you.
Your best bet probably is to look for FAFSA only schools. Based solely on your mother’s income you likely would be eligible for Pell Grant and possibly some state-level monies for low income families if that is available in your home state. @dadof2d provided a list of schools that may be FAFSA only - that might be a good place to start.
Berea also was mentioned up-thread - I believe your mother’s income is low enough to qualify for their financial assistance which is either full tuition or full ride, I can’t remember. It is well regarded.
Knox, Earlham, and Ohio Wesleyan are also FAFSA only, I believe. All nice smaller schools where you have a reasonable chance for admission.
Finally, some of the most competitive CSS Profile schools also can be quite generous. You should run the numbers for the schools that especially interest you. The difference from one NPC to the next can be substantial. There may still be a gap that your family can’t bridge but the only way to know for sure is to put in the work and see. Good luck!
This is going to be tough. $85K combined is plenty of income in Ohio. Believe me, I understand how tough it is when one parent won’t contribute anything, but I think the financial situation here is going to complicate things immensely, especially as the parents are still legally married. (After an order of divorce is entered, noncompliance with the order as regards, say, child support is strong evidence that the absent parent is truly MIA.)
I wish I had a better answer for you, but financially this isn’t going to fly, unless your father is willing to cough up some money (and it sounds like he isn’t).
Does your mother know that your father doesn’t need to grant her a divorce? She can start the proceedings herself - and ask for child support back payments (or at least dangle that as leverage).
If you don’t have contact with your dad for a year or more, and he pays no child suport, a case can be made he’s MIA. But as long as they’re married, his income “counts” as if he still lived there and contributed to your family’s upkeep - even if he doesn’t.
This separation is going to complicate your life and make things worse for your mother. 
Run the NPCs for meet need colleges - the best financial aid packages may change.
The CSS Profile will look at your (the student’s) income/assets in its calculation.