Just kidding, they don’t ruin them! But they aren’t helping as much on the college front. I ran across this study that points out another reason why having divorced parents sucks (as if the fights and back-and-forth routine weren’t enough!). Here are their findings:
- Students whose parents are married pay 23% of their college costs
- Students whose parents are remarried paid 47% of their college costs
- Students whose parents are divorced paid 58% of their college costs
I’m not shocked. When your parents have to support 2 households (double mortgages/rent, utility bills, etc.), there’s less money to pay for…anything, let alone college expenses. If one (or both) of your parents are remarried, there’s a decent chance your step-parent doesn’t feel an obligation to fund the education of a child who isn’t theirs.
This is even more proof that the whole system of paying for college is completely f’ed up. My parents are divorced, so when it comes time to fill out the FAFSA, I get to pick which one’s income I use. Obviously, the smart decision is to use whichever one is less. This helps ensure more financial aid is awarded. So the system is completely open to being gamed. Then there’s the situation a friend of mine found herself in: She lives with her (remarried) mom, but she also had to include her step dad’s income on the FAFSA. He makes good money, but isn’t helping out with college expenses. Result: She got screwed on financial aid.
