Non-Custodial Parent Policy
Barnard's policy for determining the financial need of students from divorced or separated families is based on the general principle that parents are responsible for the post-secondary education of their children to the extent that they are financially able. Divorce or separation of the natural parents does not absolve either parent from this obligation.
Information from both natural or adoptive parents is a required part of the application for financial aid at Barnard. Our policy is to collect both parent's financial information regardless of state laws, divorce decrees, or a parent's unwillingness to contribute to college costs.
Parents who are living together but never married
For students whose parents are living together, but were never married, we require financial information from both parents in order for the student to be considered for institutional grant aid.
Determining who is the custodial and non-custodial parent
The custodial parent is the parent with whom the student lived with most in the last 12 months. The student's custodial parent must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the CSS Profile and submit their tax documents. The non-custodial parent must complete the CSS Profile and submit their tax documents but does not complete the FAFSA.
If a parent is remarried
If a parent is remarried the financial circumstances of the entire new family unit are considered pertinent to the natural parent's ability to contribute to the cost of a Barnard education. Tax returns and W-2 forms are required from each parent's spouse if they are remarried.
Documents required from the Non-Custodial Parent
The following documents are required from the Non-Custodial Parent:
- CSS Profile (Completed online identifying the non-custodial parent as 'Household B')
- 2022 Tax Return (All pages and tax schedules)
- 2022 W-2 Form(s) (If W-2 forms were received from employers)
- 2022 Corporate/Partnership Tax Returns (If the parent owns a business)
Additional documents may be due depending on the information reported on the parent's CSS Profile and tax returns.
Special Circumstances
Yes. Barnard requires financial aid information from both parents regardless of when child support ends and regardless of what the divorce decree states. The College is not bound by family or court agreements when awarding our own institutional funds.
If the whereabouts of your noncustodial parent are unknown, or if you have extenuating circumstances and you are unable to submit Non-Custodial parent information, please complete Barnard's Non-Custodial Parent Waiver Petition online. Students cannot complete this form until they have submitted their application to Barnard and have received access to their online Barnard application portal.
Please note that the Waiver Petition requires you to submit a letter from a third-party to verify the information presented in the petition. The Petition will not be reviewed until the required third party letter is received.
Students will be notified of the Waiver Petition decision by email. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed. If the Waiver Petition is denied, the student's financial aid application will remain incomplete until all required documents are received from the Non-Custodial Parent.
Barnard does not accept the College Board/IDOC version of the form.
All documents submitted to the Financial Aid Office are kept confidential. Although the student can view when and what type of document is uploaded to the application portal, the documents themselves are not visible to the student or either parent.
Non-Custodial Parents who do not want to upload their materials due to privacy concerns may submit their documents directly to our office and the Financial Aid staff will upload the documents on their behalf. Documents can be submitted by email to finaid@barnard.edu (please redact all social security numbers for security purposes).