Transition to college is hard for most students, and the cost of college education is high. Students of divorced parents face additional challenges in finding financial help to complete their educations, especially if one parent is uncooperative. However, there are ways to get college tuition help for such students and mitigate the financial strain.
Instructions
1. Apply to colleges in the state of residency of the parent who has custody of the student. This will allow you to get in-state tuition rates. In case the parents have joint custody, the residency of the one responsible for financial support is typically considered while evaluating if the student should receive in-state tuition. Consult with the schools' guidance counselors if you are unsure of residency status.
2. Inquire about school financial aid programs. Most schools base their decisions on the earnings of the parent who claims the student as a dependent on his tax returns. However, some schools require financial information from both parents before taking any decision on awarding financial support. There are certain situations where the income information requirement from the non-custodial parent is waived. Check with the financial aid office of the school.
3. Apply for federal assistance by filling out the free application for Federal Student Aid at FAFSA (see Resources below). The custodial parent of the student should be the one filling out the form. The income of the non-custodial parent is not considered for federal financial aid.
4. Explore Grants.gov to find out if you qualify for educational grants (see Resources below). Grants are not given specifically to students with divorced parents, but you could still get a grant if you fall into one of the categories in which grants are awarded.
5. Check if there's a 529 plan account that you can use. You need to be a family member, as defined by Internal Revenue Code 529 of the plan's account holder, and be the beneficiary of the plan to be able to use the funds from such an account. Find out who can be considered a member of the family by reading IRC 529 at the website of U.S. Code--Electronic Edition (see Resources below).
