{"id":10856,"date":"2026-01-15T10:24:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:24:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/collegeadmissionshq.org\/staging\/6504\/?p=10856"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:51:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T19:51:06","slug":"the-college-financial-aid-roadmap-when-parents-are-divorced-separated-unmarried-remarried-or-widowed-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegeadmissionshq.org\/staging\/6504\/the-college-financial-aid-roadmap-when-parents-are-divorced-separated-unmarried-remarried-or-widowed-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The College Financial Aid Roadmap When Parents Are Divorced, Separated, Unmarried, Remarried, or Widowed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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September 16, 2025<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules around college financial aid are complicated, and they get even more confusing when parents are divorced, separated, unmarried, remarried, or widowed. An increasing number of students face this situation\u2014and many families end up paying more for college simply because they don\u2019t understand how the rules apply to them. This article explains how to determine which parent\u2019s information is required in different family circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every college-bound family should start with a basic grasp of financial aid. Our Pocket Guide to College Financial Aid<\/a><\/em> is a great place to start. This 10-page guide explains the key terms, forms, formulas, sources and types of aid, and the steps to accessing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step in that process is filing the FAFSA<\/a><\/strong> (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). All dependent students and their parent(s) must complete it to be considered for need-based\u2014and sometimes merit-based\u2014aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before looking at how parent information is handled in different circumstances, here are some FAFSA basics that apply to every family:<\/p>\n\n\n\n