Addressing the Financial Aid Process When Parents Are Divorced

A November 1, 2005 article from Inside Higher Ed discusses how colleges determine institutional aid eligibility for students whose parents are divorced. A new system for handling financial aid applications for children of divorced parents has been developed by the College Board's Financial Aid Standards and Services Advisory Committee. The system collects financial information from both of the parents and, if applicable, their current spouse(s). A majority of the 75 colleges using the new system this year are private institutions.

Note that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), used to determine eligibility for most federal and state aid programs, collects financial information from the student and the custodial parent (and, if remarried, the custodial parent's new spouse).

The article is available at the Inside Higher Ed Web site.