Need Access: Parents Abroad Forum

[Jamdung]

Hi everyone,

I am working on my Need Access App. I fall into the independent category or financial aid purposes; however, I realize that Vanderbilt require parental information if you are under 25. How does this work if your parents are abroad? Specifically, one parent of mine lives abroad and the other parent living in the US does not file taxes.

Do I still need to provide their information? Also, what if you one parent is not financing your education?

Thanks for any help!

[hearsay77]

Hi everyone,

I am working on my Need Access App. I fall into the independent category or financial aid purposes; however, I realize that Vanderbilt require parental information if you are under 25. How does this work if your parents are abroad? Specifically, one parent of mine lives abroad and the other parent living in the US does not file taxes.

Do I still need to provide their information? Also, what if you one parent is not financing your education?

Thanks for any help!

My parents recently moved abroad too, and I'm still filling in all of their information. I don't really see a way of getting around it since the schools ask for it. You can also fill out the "special circumstances" box at the end and explain the situation.

[antiworldly]

Most schools require parental information, no matter how old you are (turning 27 soon here). Talking to the Georgetown financial aid officer at visit weekend, he said that if there are truly exceptional circumstances, they maaaaay wave the requirement for both parents to report, but that's incredibly unlikely. The most likely outcome is if you don't get both parents info into the form, you don't get need-based financial aid.

[Hand]

The needaccess form allows you to enter foreign income and such, and links to a currency converter, when you check the boxes for "residing abroad" and "foreign income"

[Jamdung]

Wow! That creates a lot of problem. I don't talk to that parent. It's really rare to even contact this parent. There is no way to find out that financial info. I am planning to put "0" for everything because whether there is income or not, it does not matter because they live in another country (like born and never lived in the US) and will not contribute to my education. That is the plain fact.

I cannot even estimate. Basically, I would be pulling information out of thin air.

I plan to put primary parent info although there are no tax forms to prove income or whatever. I did contact a school and they encourage using the special circumstances portion.

Any thoughts?

[JFO1833]

I am planning to put "0" for everything because whether there is income or not, it does not matter because they live in another country (like born and never lived in the US) and will not contribute to my education.

I would not do this. I would call the schools and explain the situation and ask them what to do.