financial aid ROTC policy

Perhaps the OP should ask the FA office if they would give them a better overall package if they turned down the ROTC scholarship? I doubt it given the missing father, which I think is the critical element here.
Prior to applying my son's scholarship to his financial aid, it looked like this:

35,760 - family contribution
9,240 - institutional aid
4,000 - SEOG grant
3,800 - Pell grant
52,800 - total
I doubt it also considering that the OP had a family contribution of $35,760 prior to applying her son's NROTC scholarship. Perhaps I am missing your point, but it just doesn't seem to me that MIT (with all her financial records) considers the OP very much in need of their institutional funds. Both before and after her son received his NROTC scholarship.
 
I doubt it also considering that the OP had a family contribution of $35,760 prior to applying her son's NROTC scholarship. Perhaps I am missing your point, but it just doesn't seem to me that MIT (with all her financial records) considers the OP very much in need of their institutional funds. Both before and after her son received his NROTC scholarship.

Thanks for bringing up the numbers again. The $35,760 number was obviously based upon the father's lack of participation (as opposed to the OP's actual finances as witnessed by the large Pell Grant).

That $35K number probably seems like the moon to the OP (considering the income level necessary to qualify for a Pell), so bringing the ROTC scholarship with them to them seems like they are contributing "that" to the equation (considering it comes with strings attached). I would guess they feel they are doing "their" part to offset what is a bad family situation, yet they feel further punished for bringing their "family contribution" by having less institutional aid awarded.

Their "rich Uncle Sam" covering their EFC seems to have resulted in less institutional aid. It is an interesting cunundrum, with a normal response. I wouldn't characterize it as "money-grubbing", though.
 
..probably seems..
...with them to them seems like they are contributing..
.. I would guess they feel...
..yet they feel..
..I wouldn't characterize it as "money-grubbing", though.
Considering how you "seem" to know what the the OP is "feeling" and "thinking" then perhaps you're correct....despite what seems to be unappreciative and entitled posts.
 
The law says that parents have the “legal responsibility” to pay for college education, and it is the student who is responsible party for the bill.

In the previously mentioned case the Pell Grant and matching Pell Grant paid for the student’s room, which is a billable item for the school. The scholarship covers tuition and fees, which are billable items too. The school is aware of the student’s inability to cover the gap/family contribution, which pertains to food, books and school supplies and they are all non-billable school account items.

The Department of Defense is funding a student in the amount of 38,000 + 3,500 in allowances and the student is unable to cover the balance of his food, books and school supplies at the school that has accepted his ROTC Scholarship funding. My original question was to determine if HR 1777 addressed this situation.

This is the position of the school’s Financial Aid Department:


As of today we will be reading your son’s file for Federal Aid and using $33,000 for a noncustodial parent contribution. The reason for the call was to inform you of our decision. We received a request to waive the noncustodial parent. Our Appeal Committee decided we could not waive the noncustodial parent's information. You stated you do not believe he would
be willing to cooperate. Our solution was to use a $33,000 contribution and waive the requirements. I called to inform you of this and to let you know that we will be using $33,000 for the noncustodial parent when considering your son for institutional aid and if you would like to appeal that amount you will need to provide his information. I apologize for the confusion. I called to inform you of our decision and let you know what you will need to provide in order to appeal our noncustodial parent contribution figure. Your son’s file is now complete and you will receive an award letter within the week.

Best wishes,

Our school adheres to the principle that both parents, regardless of their current marital status, have the primary responsibility for providing for their child's education and should be expected to provide reasonable financial support before college resources are used. Our school is unable to fund a parent contribution.

Best wishes,
*************************************************

By the way, Goaliedad you are insightful and spot on. Thank you.
 
The law says that parents have the “legal responsibility” to pay for college education, and it is the student who is responsible party for the bill.

The "law" does not make any parent legally responsible to pay for any college.
In fact, Federal law says that the custodial parent's income and assets will be used to determine if a student qualified for Federal financial aid.

calimom - I know this doesn't make you feel any better but you are not alone. Lots of kids have non-cooperative custodial parent issues; and even parent issues in unwillingness to pay for their college. The need is great and their just isn't enough money to help all the way we would like.
There are ROTC scholarship winners who still can't attend college because they can't afford the $12000 room and board. There are kids who can't go to MIT because their determination of aid doesn't jive with the family budget.
Your son may have to take another small loan and tighten his belt but he is getting the opportunity to be educated at MIT and that is terrific!
 
The law says that parents have the “legal responsibility” to pay for college education....
Which law? I was under the impression that a parent had a responsibility to support their child until s/he reached 18 but had no obligation to pay for college after high school. I'm sure there are a lot of high school seniors that would be interested in that law.
"Our school adheres to the principle that both parents, regardless of their current marital status, have the primary responsibility for providing for their child's education and should be expected to provide reasonable financial support before college resources are used. Our school is unable to fund a parent contribution."
I agree with this principle and it is easy to understand why a college needs to adhere to this policy. I will also say that neither the college, Federal Government, NROTC or any of the posters on this site (other than you), are or should be responsible for your choices in husbands, fathers or the decisions you and he have made.

Somehow you managed to get through the first year of a $52K a year top college with an expected family contribution of $35K. Congratulations! Most people who are eligible for a Pell Grant would not be able to borrow or come up with that much money for one year of school. The good news is that thanks to your son and NROTC the remaining 3 years combined are going to cost you less than the one that just ended. Good luck and congrats to your son!
 
In the end of the day, it is obvious that Calimom needs to have her son talk to the FA dept at MIT. None of our children attend school there, thus, we really can't assist and are just spinning wheels.

I do want to point out something that Cali stated
The law says that parents have the “legal responsibility” to pay for college education
Your child is in NROTC, try calling the det for information regarding his situation. They will shut you down right away because as they perceive his scholarship, he is 18, a legal adult, the contract is private between him and them, you have no "legal" standing whatsoever.

Your divorce decree may state the two of you must legally ante up equally or in specific percentages, but Aglages is correct no law states that every parent in this country who sends a child to college or trade school are held legally responsible.

In defense of Aglages, and his opinion on how people might perceive Cali (greed comment). I can understand where he is coming from. People across the nation are finding it difficult to pay for the avg IS school, with ROTC scholarships. To get an MIT education for even 7600, out of pocket, while the child is getting 3500 per yr in stipend, plus books, leaving them with 4100 owed, smacks others in the face. FAFSA is not the only place to get loans that are not due for repayment until after graduation. Go to www.wellsfargo.com and have your son take a personal loan, with you as a co-signor. In this way he will be able to keep his 350 a month stipend to use as spending money, and you will not have to fork anything out during the yr.

Again, this is a great lesson to those going on scholarship. There is no guarantee that the military will increase their scholarship amount just because the college has increased their room and board. You can quickly find yourself out priced. You also need to figure in transportation costs. College grants, scholarships and loans do not exist to cover your airline costs for Sept, Nov., Ded., Mar and May. (holiday breaks).

I know we all seem to becoming down hard on Cali, but all we are saying is here are the facts, and no matter what your reason or excuse it won't change anything. You now have two choices, accept it as it is, or find another way to pay for the difference.
 
Obligation to Help Pay for College

Is the non-custodial parent required to help pay for college?

The Federal government does not consider the income and assets of the non-custodial parent in determining a student's financial need. However, it does consider child support received by the custodial parent.

Many private colleges do consider the non-custodial parent as a potential source of support, and require a supplemental financial aid form from the non-custodial parent. This affects the awarding of the school's own aid, but not Federal and state aid.

Whether divorced parents have a legal obligation to pay for their children's education depends on the state in which the divorce occurred. Several states have laws or case law that allow courts to order the non-custodial parent to help pay for college. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and West Virginia. States which prohibit the courts from ordering college support (except for enforcing a previous agreement between the parents) include Alaska, Nebraksa, and New Hampshire. (As of 2/2/2004, New Hampshire judges no longer have the discretion to order college support for adult children in new divorce cases. Prior orders remain enforceable.)

Depending on the state, the college support may include more than just educational expenses, such as tuition and books, but also extracurricular expenses and a monthly cash allowance. The courts will generally order the ex-spouse to pay half of the college costs regardless of the institution chosen by the child. Even in states where the courts do not have the power to compel the non-custodial parent to pay college expenses, the court may consider college expenses when deciding whether to award alimony.

The basis for these laws is a 1998 study that showed that children of divorced parents are less likely to matriculate in college and receive less financial support than children of intact marriages. The study (Judith S. Wallerstein and Julia M. Lewis, "The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25 Year Landmark Study", Hyperion Press, 2001) found that 29 percent of children with divorced parents get parental support for college expenses, compared with 88 percent of children from intact families.

Others argue that these laws are unfair, since there is no similar requirement on parents who are not divorced, nor is there a similar requirement on the custodial parent. Also the law, although gender neutral, is disproportionately applied to fathers. The Pennsylvania state Supreme Court overturned Pennsylvania's statue in 1995 (Curtis v. Kline, 666 A.2d 265, 1995), ruling that there was no basis for distinguishing divorced parents from non-divorced parents.

College Support Agreements

It is best for parents who are in the process of getting divorced to prepare a written college support agreement in addition to a child support agreement. Such an agreement should specify who is responsible for how much of the college expenses, how many semesters of support will be provided, any limits on annual payments, indexing payments to the tuition at a particular college (e.g., a state college), whether there is an age limit (i.e., up to age 24, when the student becomes automatically independent), and any restrictions on colleges the child may attend (e.g., specific colleges and accreditation). (Although it is common for college support agreements to specify that the child must attend a state college, it is better to index the support requirement against the state college tuition while allowing the child the flexibility to choose another college. For example, one could specify that the non-custodial parent will provide 50% of the tuition at the state college or the college where the child enrolls, whichever is less. It is also common to base the college support requirement on the expected family contribution figure.) The agreement should also specify what constitutes college costs (i.e., just tuition and required fees, or also room and board, transportation, health insurance, textbooks and other educational expenses) and whether there are any requirements the child must satisfy to receive continued support, such as achieving a minimum GPA and taking a minimum number of credit hours. The agreement should also specify whether the college support is to be paid directly to the school, to the custodial parent, to the child, or to a combination. Often the percentage of college costs is divided proportionately between the parents according to income after subtracting non-discretionary expenses such as taxes, basic living expenses and health care. This is the same as the "income shares formula" used by most states for child support.

Section 529 prepaid tuition plans and section 529 college savings plans are especially popular vehicles for funding the college education of children of divorced parents, as they permit the non-custodial parent to limit their financial obligation by prepaying for a set percentage of college costs.

Although child support requirements terminate in most states at when the child reaches the age of majority (usually age 18 or 21), there is often an exception for children who are enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution or have special needs. Even if child support has terminated, the non-custodial parent might still be required to provide college support.

Note that college support agreements might not be binding on the estate of a deceased non-custodial parent in some states (e.g., Massachusetts).

Studies have found that children who have kept in contact with the non-custodial parent are more likely to receive greater support. Fathers with joint legal custody provide more college support than fathers without custody, and fathers with visitation rights provide more college support than those without visitation rights.
 
In defense of Aglages, and his opinion...
In defense of Aglages? I say we don't defend him, instead let's just take him out back and beat him. :wink:

Seriously, regardless of my interpretations of Calimom's posts, I should have been more diplomatic and less critical in my responses. I sincerely apologize to Calimom for any offense that I've given. :redface:
 
I'm in, behind the barracks after Taps?

Gojack, you must be on a different time zone than me because Taps would have already been played before you posted:rolleyes:

Calimom,

I am not sure what your point was with your last post. None of it stated there is a legal obligation for a parent to pay college education for a child. If there were, my kids would have a ton of friends lining up at attorney offices suing their parents because they had to go to a cheaper college since their parents couldn't pay.

What you are now bringing up really is between you and your ex husband with regard to your divorce settlement. Not only is it about you and him, but it is a school issue and not an ROTC scholarship issue.

Again, if it is ROTC, you need to realize that he has to take charge of this issue because your name/signature is not on the contract with the Dept of Navy. HIS IS. He needs to contact his det ASAP and get them involved to settle the issue if you/he think that the situation is being handled unfairly.

Maybe I am missing a beat, but in your last post about obligations, I did not see CA. Even if you went down the road of divorced parent legal obligations, you are a CA resident, he may attend school in MA, but that has no bearing on your situation since you are not a MA resident.

I am with Ag, if I have offended you, I do apologize. That has never been our intentions on this board. We all understand that this process is very complex, and as I keep saying at this time, whether we are explaining it wrong to you, or you don't want to accept what we are saying, I think it is time to get your DS to call his det at NROTC and have them get involved.
 
Gojack, you must be on a different time zone than me because Taps would have already been played before you posted:rolleyes:


If my failing memory serves me correctly, On Army Bases, Taps was (is?) played at 1800 , does the Air Farce even play Taps?:biggrin:
 
If my failing memory serves me correctly, On Army Bases, Taps was (is?) played around 1800 , does the Air Force even play Taps?:biggrin:

Your memory is failing you. In the Army- "Retreat" followed by "To the Colors" is played typically around 1730 when the colors are lowered. Taps is played around 2300.:thumb:
http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=4405

BTW if this seems like I am taking this afield - I am deliberately to keep the mood a little light hearted. This has been an informative post about college financing- it's a complex subject. Thanks to all the folks who have posted on it.
 
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