FAFSA nightmare: Do I report my wealthy ex-husband who's never contributed to my daughter's expenses?

This is a tough situation, but there are options for handling uncooperative parents in the FAFSA process. For graduate/professional students (like medical school), your daughter is automatically considered independent for federal financial aid purposes. This means your ex-husband's information isn't required at all on the FAFSA for med school! However, many medical schools also require the CSS Profile for institutional aid, and that form often requires non-custodial parent information. For the CSS Profile, you can request a waiver for the non-custodial parent by documenting the complete absence of financial support and contact. You'll need to provide court documents showing the unpaid child support and any other evidence of his absence from her life.

my dad didnt help with my college either and he makes tons of money. its so unfair how they expect parents to pay when some just wont!! i ended up having to take out max loans for everything and work 30hrs/week. still graduated with like $90k debt. the system is broken

For med school FAFSA doesnt even look at parent info anymore so ur fine for that part. My brother just started med scool this yr and only had to put his own info. But def check with each school about there CSS profile rules cuz some are super strict bout wanting both parents even if one is completely out of the picture.

As others have mentioned, for medical school, your daughter is considered an independent student for federal aid purposes. However, I want to add some important details: 1. For the CSS Profile, each medical school has its own policy regarding non-custodial parents. You'll need to submit the Non-Custodial Parent Waiver Request directly to each institution (not to College Board). 2. Documentation is critical. Gather: court orders showing required support, documentation of non-payment, any legal attempts to enforce support, proof of your daughter's financial independence from him, and a personal statement explaining the situation. 3. Medical schools typically have financial aid officers who specialize in these complex situations. Have your daughter schedule appointments with them specifically. 4. Medical school funding often comes from a combination of federal direct unsubsidized loans, Graduate PLUS loans, and institutional scholarships. Even without parental information, she'll qualify for the federal loans. I'd recommend starting this process early - at least 3-4 months before financial aid deadlines.

The system is RIGGED against people like us! My ex makes six figures but hasn't given us a DIME in 8 years, and I've been fighting the financial aid system constantly. Even with court documents proving he's a deadbeat, some schools still expected his info!!! FAFSA should have a SIMPLE checkbox for "parent refuses to contribute" instead of making us jump through all these hoops!!!!

Have you tried calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center directly? I was stuck in a similar situation last year with my son's FAFSA (different circumstances but also complicated parent situation). I kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I ended up using a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually get through to a real person at FSA in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The FSA agent was able to explain exactly what documentation we needed for our special circumstances and how to properly document everything. Super helpful for complex situations like yours where you need specific guidance.

To answer your follow-up question about documentation timeframe - most medical schools typically want to see the most recent 3 years of documentation, but in cases of long-term absence, having court records spanning the entire period strengthens your case significantly. The key is demonstrating a clear pattern of non-support and non-involvement. For the personal statement, have your daughter focus on how she's been financially self-sufficient and how you've been her only parental support. Be factual rather than emotional in this documentation. Also, when your daughter meets with financial aid officers, she should specifically ask about their medical school's Professional Judgment process. This is different from the CSS Profile waiver and may open additional institutional aid opportunities based on your unique circumstances.

wait are u sure about the med school thing??? My friend had to include both parent info on FAFSA for dental school last year and they're super similar

One more thing to consider - even though FAFSA won't require your ex's info for medical school, your daughter should be prepared for MASSIVE loans. My daughter is in her 2nd year of med school and even with some scholarships she's taking out about $65,000 PER YEAR in loans. Medical school is INSANELY expensive!!! Start looking into loan forgiveness programs like PSLF NOW so she can plan her career accordingly. The financial aid offices at many schools don't tell you about these options until it's too late!

I had a similar situation with my son's father who makes well over 200k but hasn't contributed since my son was 4. For the CSS Profile, get letters from people who know your situation - I got ones from our pastor, my son's high school counselor, and my parents confirming the father's absence. The schools actually accepted these as part of our documentation package along with court records.

I went through almost the exact same situation with my daughter 3 years ago! Her father makes over $400K but abandoned us when she was 6 and never paid a dime in support despite court orders. The medical school FAFSA was actually the easiest part since she was automatically independent - no parent info needed at all. For the CSS Profile waivers, I recommend being very thorough with your documentation. Beyond the court orders, I included: bank records showing I was the only one making deposits for her expenses, school records showing I was the only parent contact, medical records with only my name as guardian, and even screenshots of blocked phone calls when she tried to reach him. Most importantly - start early! Some schools took 6-8 weeks to process the waiver requests. My daughter got approved for waivers at 4 out of 5 schools she applied to. The one that denied it actually reversed their decision after we provided additional documentation and had a phone meeting with their financial aid director. Don't lose hope! The system recognizes these situations exist, even if the process is frustrating. Your daughter's hard work getting into med school shows she's resilient - you'll both get through this financial aid maze too.