I’m wondering if anyone has heard of a situation similar to mine, and/or if y’all think my NCP waiver would have a chance of being approved.
So basically, the story kind of starts when I was 8, which is when my family moved to the US. About two years later, my dad was diagnosed with schizophrenia and lupus, and my parents separated and my dad moved to Mexico to what used to be our old house. Since then, he has never financially supported me or told my mom his financial information/income (so for about 8 years now). I have had limited contact with him, seeing him about once a year on average and sometimes speaking over the phone. Since he is severely mentally ill, his behavior is unpredictable and I can’t expect him or rely on him to pay for my college for four years (he used to be a college professor for like 15 years until his illness. Due to loyalty the college in Mexico still employs him as a “professor” but he doesn’t actually teach classes to my knowledge and it’s really just an administrative position), even if he wanted to (which he does not, especially considering that he never financially supported me in the first place since my parents’ separation). My mom never divorced my dad because 1. I’m Catholic and divorce is frowned upon and 2. because she said it would push him over the edge since he is very fragile due to his mental illness.
The other problem is that even if colleges do not approve my waiver petition, I have no way of obtaining my dad’s financial information or income due to the fact that he lives a country away and we can’t force him to give it to us.
I’d really like to know if anyone has been through a similar experience (or knows someone who does), and if y’all think there’s a chance my waiver will be approved. ~Thanks
You know where your dad is, you know where he works, and you are in contact with him. If you need to, you can go to Mexico and collect the financial information from him. If he is at a public university there, his salary might even be publicly available. So it isn’t realistic for you to expect a waiver. Have you simply tried asking him for the financial information? My bet would be that his income is so low after converting to US$ that is might not affect you aid all that much. Remind him that you need the information to apply for aid, but that he is under no obligation to pay anything at all toward your college costs.
I’m not seeing the expectation that a NCP waiver would be approved, either. Sick as you claim that he is, he is employed and earns a regular salary. That salary will be (and should be) considered for determining your financial aid in universities where the NCP information is required.
I am sorry that your are in this situation, but there are plenty of other college students who would like the NCP waivers (and schools don’t get them).
@happymomof1 but if he is under no obligation to pay anything at all toward my college costs, are my mom and me expected to pay for all of it and go into debt because he will not?
@saltoids Parents are not obliged to pay for college for their children. In the case of a formal divorce, sometimes a legal agreement is drawn up that spells out what each parent is expected to pay, but that is not your case. So, yes, it is highly likely that you and your mother will bear the costs of your higher education. You could ask your father what he is willing to contribute but as you say, he might not follow through.
As @happymomof1 has mentioned, professor salaries in Mexico are generally low by US standards and his financial information may not make a huge difference unless he owns significant assets that exceed what his income might suggest. Some of the most competitive colleges and universities in this country are very generous in how they define financial aid so even with your father’s information, you may be eligible for enough aid to make it work.
Also, if you go to the college board website, there is a list of schools that don’t require the noncustodial parent to fill out the CSS profile. There are also numerous FAFSA only schools where his information would not be required. You should select some schools of interest from these categories and use your mother’s information in the net price calculators to see if they would be affordable. Then if your father does not come through, you will have options.
Separate issue- do you have a green card or are you a legal resident? Also, not sure when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia but as an aside, sometimes lupus flares can be accompanied by a psychotic episode. So the psychosis is related to the lupus- might not be schizophrenia. Just thoughts…
@mamaedefamilia Thank you for the advice! I wasn’t aware that some colleges don’t require the noncustodial parent to fill out the CSS profile, so I’ll definitely look into that.
@jym626 yes I am. Yep I’m aware of that, he was diagnosed by a psychiatrist in the US after his lupus diagnosis.
@thumper1 thanks! Yeah I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Obtaining the information from an unwilling parent is difficult for many people, whether they live in the next town or the next state or, as in your case, another country. There is a current thread by a student whose parents refuse to file the FAFSA because they don’t want to share financial information. You are in a much better situation because your mother can file the FAFSA without any information from your father and there are a lot of schools that only require the FAFSA to get FA.
You can do three things:
Apply to FAFSA only schools
Try to get your father to fill out the NCP forms
Apply for waivers to schools that require his information
@saltoids - You are the one who is responsible for paying for your education. If your mom can chip in, that’s good. If your dad can chip in, well that’s good too. No one can require that you borrow one cent to pay for your studies, so there is absolutely no obligation to take on debt. Once you know how much money is available to cover your college costs, you will need to identify places that are in your budget. In many, many cases, affording a college education means studying part-time at a commuting-distance public university or community college while working full-time. If you determine that that is your only viable option, have confidence that even though the pathway is slower, it can lead to success.
@jym626 does this guarantee that the schools not listed do not look at noncustodial parent income, though?
@thumper1 My efc with just my mom is 3-4k per year, so that’s about it. I don’t want to post my stats since I’m actually just inquiring about financial aid, but I am looking at both top schools and the state schools I’m auto-admitted to (I was selected for the national hispanic recognition program, though so I’m not sure if that has any bearing on financial aid/merit scholarships at any schools like national merit does).
That’s interesting about UChicago!! I wasn’t planning on applying because I’ve heard it’s brutal for pre-med students in terms of GPA deflation, but I might consider it because of that. Thanks!
For those who are in a position to offer advice, please note that the OP states his/her parents are still married, and it is unclear if there is a formal separation agreement. Given this information, can one parent be considered ‘non-custodial’ ?
@austinmshauri yeahh my goal is to graduate without (or with minimal) debt, but even my state school costs more than what my EFC would probably be with my dad’s income and they don’t meet full need so either way I might have to borrow.
Based on his situation it is unlikely that s/he will get a waiver. OP’s parents are still legally married. While they are separated by physical distance, there is no intention of obtaining a divorce. For this reason they may be seen as being married and both parent’s information may need to be included on the FAFSA and all other financial aid documents. @kelsmom
Yes, the FAFSA would treat these parents are separated with no intention to reunite, so would only require the mother’s income and assets (and any child support, which the OP says is not paid).