I don’t see how the system could be any different. Why should a college give a parent with a 6-figure income a pass just because they don’t want to pay? No other business I can think of will give a kid a huge discount off the list price of their product because one parent is willing to pay and the other isn’t. However, there are colleges that don’t require the 2nd parent’s info. and others that offer excellent merit for stats. OP should see if any of those could be financial safeties.