Students paying their way

According to this article from the Chicago Tribune, more and more students are paying their way through college without the assistance of their parents.

This poses an interesting scenario, especially for a school, like Notre Dame, where all financial aid is need-based. The Office of Financial Aid requires financial information from a student's parents before a package is created, and usually, the parents are expected to reasonably contribute to their child's education.

But what about the students who "fall through the cracks"; that is, students who are told by their parents that they are "on their own"? As the article mentions, there are only a very small number of students in such a situation at this time, but what happens if the trend continues to grow?