Elite colleges accused of price-fixing to make divorced parents pay more

[pnwmom]

11. It seems reasonable to me to include both parents' income,

even if the child is only living with one of them.

Suppose the child lived with the mother, who made $50K a year. She was divorced from the father, who made $200K. But, according to this lawsuit, the college should award the same aid amount as they would to a child whose total family income was only $50K. That doesn't seem fair to me. (Unless the father was permanently estranged from the child, in which case the college would have to make a determination on an individual basis.)

There's a fixed amount of money in every college's financial aid pot, so the more that goes to some kids, the less there is for others.
The method preferred in this lawsuit actually would provide a financial incentive for getting divorced.