Success rate with waiver request for the CSS?

[twoinanddone]

@Phantonex

@twoinanddone

You CAN drop him from your life when you turn 18, but that doesn’t mean schools are going to dismiss him as easily. Depending on the state, your father’s obligations for child support may end at 18 or may continue to 21. Your mother may want him to be obligated to continue paying.

It’s a difficult situation but not uncommon. Many students have parents who make a middle class or higher income who won’t or can’t pay for college. Colleges still look to those parents to pay.

If my situation isn’t uncommon, what do people in my situation normally do? Do they just look at cheaper colleges? Or do they just look at colleges that don’t require the NCP’s income?

The VAST majority of college students live at home and go to a college within driving distance of home (or establish their own homes and go to college part time, have employers who pay, have served in the military and have tuition paid). The next big chunk of college students go to schools in their home states, most of which require only the FAFSA (non custodial parent’s income not included). Only a small percentage of college students attend elite schools, and yes, about 50% of those students are paying the full cost (or their parents who have saved for college are).

If you spend time on CC reading about all the students going to elite schools, you’ll think everyone goes away to college and lives on campus and gets big FA packages or full ride merit scholarships. That is not reality. Look at your own high school graduating class and where students are heading to college. If it is a high income area, some will be going to elite east coast schools, but most will be going to U of Minn or one of the schools in the state college system. Good schools at a good price.