Thanks Kayvent.
I did exaggerate the $150k example, to make the question simpler; but $50k and $90k as incomes are pretty common here. (Note that the average family income in 2014 was $134k for couples with children in BC -- not at all 3x the median income as you assert) ; and with so much of the family income going towards childcare, then HCOL housing (two sets of housing perhaps with additional blended family members), I am sure some people post divorce, would think that the ability to obtain a student loan is a necessity... especially if they live too far from a school and the kids live on campus, for a total of $17k per year with accommodation / meal plan.
Aside -- one parent in the class has their child going to school in Ontario, and being out of province, are payng $19k per year with fewer tax credits or grants...than offered to ontario residents.
The question was asked in my class, after all. I believe the parent who asked has less net income coming in than average (guessing $50k and $65k, across the split households), and wanted to know how divorce affects the student loan application. He indicated that there was not much in their legal papers about paying for post -secondary, except that they had to write up a clause about the RESP and how it could be accessed at the time of divorce.
I have heard divorced friends talk about getting student loans, no problem, when they made (combined) more than we do (combined) and I know we would likely be denied. I was wondering , too, what that differences look like. The way they made it sound, like they were able to choose custodial parent / tax credits claiming (the kid moved in with the lower income parent, full time, I believe) prior to the student loan application, but I don't know how that could work.