FAFSA gave almost nothing despite divorced parents - $240K debt for Bentley? Need urgent help!

You need to immediately request a professional judgment review from Bentley's financial aid office! Call them TODAY and explain the situation with the absent father. They can do a dependency override in special circumstances. My daughter was in a similar situation and got an additional $23k per year after we provided documentation of the situation.

omg $240k is INSANE for undergrad!! tell ur son to go to a state school for 2 yrs then transfer!!! my cousin did that and saved like 100k seriously

I work in financial aid, and I can tell you that what you're experiencing is extremely common with divorced families. Your FAFSA calculation is likely including your ex-husband's income even though he doesn't contribute. You need to do three things immediately: 1. Contact Bentley's financial aid office and request a Professional Judgment Review based on "special circumstances" - specifically the non-custodial parent's lack of financial contribution 2. Gather documentation: custody agreement, any court orders for support, proof that payments aren't being made, and your tax returns 3. Submit a CSS Profile if you haven't already - some private schools use this for institutional aid Don't give up! Financial aid offices have discretion to adjust your SAI based on special circumstances. This happens more than you think.

I went through this EXACT thing with my daughter last year!!! The whole FAFSA system is BROKEN for divorced families!!! My ex made $120k but hasn't given us a DIME in 6 years, yet FAFSA counted his income and we got NOTHING!!! It's CRIMINAL how they handle these situations!!! WE FOUGHT BACK though!!! Call the financial aid office at Bentley EVERY DAY until they help you. Send emails to the dean if needed! Don't take no for an answer! The squeaky wheel gets the grease!!!!

I had the same issue with my FAFSA application this year. I couldn't get anyone on the phone at the Federal Student Aid office - kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. After trying for days, I used Claimyr.com and got through to an actual FSA agent in 15 minutes. They helped me understand how to document special circumstances for my son's situation with his absent father. The agent walked me through the exact appeal process to submit to the college. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ After talking with FSA, we appealed to our college's financial aid office with the right documentation and got an additional $12k per year. Definitely worth trying!

Former financial aid counselor here. A few important things to understand: 1. The FAFSA calculation (SAI) doesn't actually distinguish between parents in a divorced situation very well. Even if one parent provides no support, their income may still factor into the calculation, which is why your aid was likely so low. 2. You absolutely have grounds for a special circumstances review or professional judgment appeal. This is a specific process where financial aid administrators can adjust your FAFSA data elements based on documented special circumstances. 3. Documentation is critical: You'll need court documents showing custody, any support orders, bank statements showing lack of received payments, and possibly a notarized statement explaining the situation. 4. The CSS Profile (which many private schools use in addition to FAFSA) actually does have provisions for reporting non-custodial parent information separately, so check if Bentley uses the CSS Profile. 5. Don't forget to explore outside scholarships - there are still some with late deadlines or rolling applications. Most importantly, don't let your son commit to $240K in debt. No undergraduate degree justifies that level of debt, even from a prestigious business school like Bentley.

my nephew had this same prblm. his dad made like $90k but didn't help AT ALL with college. he ended up taking a gap year and establishing independence which helped alot with the fafsa stuff. might be something to think about if u can wait a year

Has your son thought about going to a cheaper school for a year and then transferring to Bentley? That's what my daughter did. She did 1 year at our local state university (with scholarships) and then transferred to her dream school. They gave her MUCH better financial aid as a transfer student for some reason! It saved us about $40k total!

One more important point: If you're going to appeal, do it IMMEDIATELY while requesting an extension on the enrollment deadline. Most schools will grant a short extension when there's a pending financial aid appeal. Be very clear with Bentley that you want to commit but cannot do so until the financial situation is resolved. Also, be prepared with a specific amount you CAN afford. Don't just say "we need more aid" - say something like "We can manage $25,000 per year through a combination of our savings and reasonable loans. Is there any way to bridge the gap between that and the current cost?

wait what about merit scholarships??? if ur son has 4.0 and AP classes he should qualify for TONS of merit money that has nothing to do with FAFSA! did he apply for those??