<p>I’m currently attending a T25 University on a virtual “full-ride” need based scholarship, but I’m seriously worried that I’ll lose my financial aid grant through the school because of my parents. I had a thread last year about my financial situation if you’d like more of a background about my family situation:</p>
<p>Both my parents (I live with my father, mother is non-custodial) refuse to send in the required financial aid documents needed to attain a financial aid package. Father has sent his taxes, but refuses to send in W-2 Forms and online forms (FAFSA, CSS Profile) until my non-custodial mother sends in her own taxes (of which she has an “extension” on and hasn’t filed yet). Non-custodial mother has business income tax, but not personal income tax but refuses to send either because she doesn’t want the government to garnish her income tax return and give it to my father because she doesn’t pay the child support (of which she is indebted with over $70,000). She hates my father and doesn’t believe he provides for us and only cares for himself. She has told me she doesn’t make any income through her business and that is why she can’t send taxes. I’ve been begging them to send in all the financial aid information but neither of my parents care enough about the possibility of losing my financial aid package because they both hate each other too much to see anything else. I’m so frustrated and depressed about the whole process and I don’t know what to do. Not to mention, I’ve yet to find a way to pay the remaining 2012 tuition bills of $800. I think I’m going to lose my scholarship, or it will be severely cut because the deadline was May 1st and I gave them ample time before hand to get all information into my school.</p>
<p>Please help because I don’t think I can handle the stress anymore, if I lose my scholarship I can’t attend school. If you guys need some clarification on the information I’ve provided I’m willing to go further, I’m not entirely informed on taxes, income, etc, I’m only going off of what they’ve told me.</p>
<p>Well, it looks like your parents are at a standstill and no one is going to budge…at least for awhile.</p>
<p>Have you tried calling your school and ask for a year off while this gets settled? I highly doubt that all of this will settle before fall semester.</p>
<p>Your past posts are confusing… From those it sounds like you’re an incoming frosh, but you say that you owe money for last year.</p>
<p>Not to mention, I’ve yet to find a way to pay the remaining 2012 tuition bills of $800</p>
<p>What info did your mom provide for your aid last year? Or are you an incoming frosh (confusing since you say that you’re “attending a T-25” school.</p>
<p>BTW…if you owe money, don’t go shopping like you mention in another thread.</p>
<p>Talk to the financial aid officer at your college. I believe that there is some way your mother can turn in the things so that it does not become info that your father has access to. The same with your father. Ask about that, and then have each parent discuss the methodology with this named director. </p>
<p>I have not read your back story, so I don’t know where you are in your college studies. If this is your first year and the awards were done on some basic information, and the forms are needed to dispense the money, your award may not even stand once your mother’s business info is given to the school, I want to warn you. I’ve seen that happen with home businesses.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that when parents cannot get on the ball and provide the info that the colleges want or the money they are supposed to pay, you cannot get money from the school when those contingencies are in place. My close friend’s daughter had to turn down the school of her choice for that reason, and go to a local state school, commuting and working nearly full time most of her years there. She graduated in 3 1/2 years Summa Cum Laude, went on to law school, graduated at the top of her class there, and is now an attorney at a top law firm making well over what she had to borrow. to go to law school, in a year’s pay. The route she took was not optimal, and it hurts her mother to this day that she did not get to go to her first choices in colleges, but she’s done better than most who did. It’s truly up to the parents to make these things happen, and if they cannot comply, their children, you , for example are going to pay some price. Unfair, yes. But so it is with many things. Unfair for those whose parents are felons, incarcertated, insane, can’t care for them, etc. It’s hard thing when that realization hits.</p>
<p>Cpt…I dont think the issue is that the mom is worried that the dad will see info. The mom is worried that the FEDS are going to confiscate her income tax return (if she files) and give it to her dad for back child support.</p>
<p>The issue of the school is secondary. The mom doesn’t want to file taxes. </p>
<p>Apple…your posts are confusing. You’re not YET attending this school. And you came off the waitlist, so what do you mean by saying that your family had “ample time” and there was a May 1 deadline? It sounds like they’ve only recently have been asked for this info because prior to this you were going to be going to a state school (FAFSA only, no mom’s info). Or am I mistaken?</p>
<p>Don’t understand the confusion here. The thread linked to above was started a year ago. So Apple has been attending this school for a year, and should now be starting her sophomore year. Apple managed to get everything together last year, but this year is again being stymied by her parents’ recalcitrance. Sounds like the school has been more than patient in extending the deadline for her continuing student financial aid forms.</p>
<p>Apple - I don’t know what to tell you. If your mom refuses to cooperate, you may have to take a year off. I don’t see any easy solution.</p>
<p>By the way, Apple, for future reference, it’ll be a tad less confusing is you describe the aid you’re receiving as need-based aid, which it is and which requires full financial disclosure from the recipient’s family, and not as a “full-ride scholarship,” which is a merit-based award unrelated to financial need.</p>
<p>Sorry for all the confusion. I am a rising sophomore at a T-25 school. My parents are being incredibly stubborn and withholding financial information in order to defy the other parent. Last Year, as an entering Freshman I had the same issues with them but was able to get them solved, but it seems that this year things have changed. Last year my mothers income tax return was garnished in order to pay retribution for the thousands of dollars of child support she has not paid, in result she lost her business and is now not making any income and is “homeless” (she living from hotel to hotel right now) and is no longer the owner of her business. My mother is afraid to give her information in fear that the feds will garnish her income and hand it to my father once again, but my father refuses to give all information until she does so. And now from what I hear from you guys it might be likely that I won’t be able to recieve FA for this year or at the very least it will be reduced. Paying my remainder tuition for the 2012-2013 year was already a burden for me even given the generous package, having to take out a $5,500 stafford loan because my parents could not negotiate a parental contribution. I worked all throughout freshmen year but I still found it difficult to pay off the remaining debt and I still owe the school $800. This whole experience hasn’t been fair for me and it’s been a stress, both my parents blame me for not seeing there POV but to be honest I think there both wrong in the situation and they’re making this more about themselves, than my own education…</p>
<p>You need to talk to the Dean of Students at your school and see if anything can be done to assist you. It is unlikely financial aid alone is going to be able to dos so, theough you should also call them as i suggested in an earlier thread.</p>
<p>If your parents are so jamlocked in their battles with each other, that they won’t hand over their information, yes, what is supposed to happen is that you lose your aid, and you need to take a year off to figure this out, perhaps transfer to a local state school. The way it works is that your parents are responsible for filling out the information and if for any reason they do not, you are not entitled to any more than your $5500 in Direct Loans on an unsubsidized basis. Maybe your school will have something they can do for you, but that’s all up to the school itself. </p>
<p>As I said earlier, this is a situation a lot of kids find themselves in. You are not alone. When it happens, you join the very large group of kids who commute to school and work part time. to pay for college. That’s how most people do it. It’s the very privileged few who can get the money for a private/ sleepaway school.</p>
<p>My mother has spoken with the FA Office and it seemed like they were being accommodating to our situation. I forgot to mention that initially, her reason for not being able to send in her information and such was because she was being hospitalized for a condition that she had. She was in the hospital for weeks, and the doctors told me that it’s important for her to get a lot of bed rest and less stress. And so although I had told her before hand about the financial aid forms, I didn’t push her to send them in while she was ill because I didn’t want to push her. I know this is beyond the point, but I wanted to give the story some more context to you.</p>
<p>I’m going to meet with my mother this weekend and force her to send in her taxes, I haven’t seen her since Christmas so I’m hoping I can get through to her and that my father in result will have his information sent to. I recieved my FA package around this time of last year so hopefully my school will be a bit understanding of my situation. If all else fails I might send letters to the Deans, Board of Trustees and Donors asking for some assistance, and if that doesn’t work I’m not sure what I’ll do, I can’t imagine being here at home any longer, its incredibly depressing all my friends have moved away and I’d have to commute to school and the house is already crowed with all 5 of my brothers and sisters. I’ve been sleeping on the couch, as my younger sister has moved into my room. I’d just be another mouth to feed.</p>
<p>Another option is to withdraw and return to school after you turn 24 (or are married or after military service), when you can get financial aid without your parents’ information. Check the withdrawal and readmission policies at your school. Of course, you need to find a job in the mean time.</p>
<p>Applebeam, I am very sorry this is happening, but I’m trying to put some perspective into your situation. Very few people go to private and get to go away to school. It’s just like going to a private boarding school during high school. Yes, it’s sad when a kid who gets a taste of that can’t return, but it’s hardly an earth shattering thing. </p>
<p>I say this because, many kids who do go away to school, expensive school through fin aid, merit money or the worse, having parents and self borrow the cost, find out very brutally after all of those years of living that way, that the real world is more like how you are living now. It’s rough for those who do not have parents helping out, even after you get that degree from a t0- 25 school. I have one kid who’s still not accepting the fact that the path he has chose means a lot of minimum wage work, nasty employers, being considere the bottom of the hierarchy, and treated like a fool. Hard to swallow after all of those years of getting pretty much what he wanted. It’s not, you only one of somethng or a less expensive one, but you have to be the one cleaning up after those who were in your shoes once. Very tough to face. There is some value in being aware of this to the marrow of ones bones. </p>
<p>It can cost a lot of money to get that first job and you are still behind in the situation. So, what is happening now does pose a reality check early on. Your parents have problems and cannot be relied up on to help you out financially. As clear as could be. Every cent, every signature, anything you need from them could be a lot of trouble and not a certainty to get. </p>
<p>The problem is that the best a college might do in such a case is to lend you the money for the whole thing which would put you behind the 8 ball even more. Giving fin aid without the papers backing up the numbers is so unfair to all the kids and families who have to provide them, and often get turned down for aid when they don’t meet the mark needed. So to reward your parents for their pettiness isn’t right either.</p>
<p>I hope other students who have “battling divorced parents” read this thread and heed the warning that such parents can cause FA nightmares at any time during the four years of college and cause an interuption in enrollment. When there’s “bad blood” between the exes, these are the times when “paybacks” or other agressive maneuvers may take place at the expense of the student’s education. </p>
<p>I always get an uneasy feeling when I read posts from high school kids who have divorced/separated parents who aren’t fully on board with supporting college costs.</p>
<p>Yes, students whose parents are likely to be unreliable with financial aid information (including divorced parents fighting money battles with each other) should consider preferring large merit scholarships over large need-based financial aid.</p>
<p>Apple…you may have to discuss a years leave of absence with your top 25 university…to give your family time to resolve this financial situation. In addition to talking to financial aid, talk to the dean of students about a leave.</p>
I believe this is great advice … and a very reasonable thing to do. And in addition there may be a excellent side affect … when your parents see you need to take a year off … they may being able to see beyond the conflict between them and help you stay in school at your current school. Certainly no guarantee this will happen … or even that it is likely to happen … but it could.</p>
<p>Yes, this student needs to be simultaneously contacting her school and requesting a year off of school to allow time to resolve this. Right now, the school has no reason to give her any aid since both parents are being asked to send in documents.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t feel comfortable with the idea of taking a year off, but being $60,000 in debt doesn’t seem like a solution either. I’m going to try and get this whole thing resolved by the end of the weekend and pray something good arises.</p>
<p>Does anyone think that a school could disregard my non-custodial mother’s information, at all? She claims that my father claims me as a dependent and that she is not liable to send in her taxes on my behalf. Is this true?</p>
<p>Your mom is wrong. What the IRS requires for taxes and what the government and schools require for awarding financial aid are completely separate and independent.</p>
<p>What she “needs” to do is whatever this particular school requires. It’s as simple as that. It has nothing to do with who claims you as a dependent, or anything else. The school sets its own rules. And if the school says it needs your noncustodial parent’s tax info, then she’d better provide it, or you won’t be attending this school anymore. You need to explain this to her. The school is doing YOU a favor by letting you attend for free . . . and your part of the bargain is proving to the school that your parents are really as hard up financially as you say they are.</p>
<p>As for your school deciding it’s willing to disregard your mother’s info . . . well, that’s up to the school. But, given the circumstances you’ve described, it seems unlikely. It never hurts to ask, though.</p>