From: Aid, Financial <financial_aid@brown.edu>
Date: On Friday, October 24th, 2025
Thank you for your email. Brown believes that the primary responsibility for educational expenses lies with the student and the family. As such, Brown requires the submission of parental (custodial and non-custodial) information detailing the parent’s ability, not willingness, to contribute. Therefore, if parents are divorced, or live separately, a CSS Profile is needed from both parents. Should parents discontinue their financial support for reasons other than their ability to pay, Brown will not assume the parental responsibility for the financial support of the student.Waivers of noncustodial information are granted in very limited circumstances. Examples include, but are not limited to, abuse, neglect, addiction, and/or other related concerns. If you believe that your situation fits one of these special situations, please download and complete the Noncustodial Parent Waiver Petition in the Forms section of our website; this should be available soon. The CollegeBoard waiver form is sufficient as well.Do not leave any questions blank. The waiver would require a statement from the student, the parent, and 2 other statements from a third party who can attest to the contents of the waiver request along with any court documentation. For third-party documentation, it can be a counselor, therapist, or a family friend as long as they are not family-related. Unfortunately, you would have to submit the waiver along with all statements in order for it to be valid. If unable to get statements, please try your best to at least provide court documentation or strong Parent/student statements and the counselor will further advise upon review.
If the waiver is approved upon review, it will waive the Non-Custodial parents’ requirements for the rest of your enrollment here at Brown. If denied, you will be notified that the Non-Custodial parents’ information will be needed in order to finalize your application for financial aid.