When I go to css from ‘the returning students’ link at our school, I get one look (w/o the ide nmbrs on each question)
https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/
and when I went to css profile from a google search of css profile’, I got a different look (one with the id nmbrs as was seen in previous yrs).
https://profileonline.collegeboard.org/prf/P6ApplicationServlet/P6ApplicationServlet.srv?operation=login
When I was doing the former, I asked a css chat person why no id nmbrs, and she said she did not know.
does anyone have any insight into this question?
When I lay out the url above I notice two different high level names, one is profileoneline. and the other if profile.
I really one of both are not phishing sites. I just gave away the fri ck ing store!
Those are both on the collegeboard.org site so they should be safe. I can’t help you on your technical question about why one autofills and not the other.
Thanks, erin’s dad. THere are also differences in the content of the questions, too, and not just in their tagging w/ id nmbrs. For example, the former asks about dislocated employee status whereas I have not found this on the latter.
Side note - on the former there is a bug in this particular question as the next question asks whether one is employed or not and if you say unemployed while saying yes to dislocated status, it clears out the answer you just gave to dislocated status. They are obviously trying to link the two but it is not being done correctly.
ANother bug in the former is the tax upload function - it plain does not work - it could not even carry over basic bio information from the tax form much less the sensitive number buckets.
It is curious how important of a role CSS plays in the financial aid process and it is some [rinky dink -sorry , fans] concern of some enterprising individual, Joe something smith. As it affects in a critical way the common or public so much (higher ed) , and is referred to as sacrosanct almost, I assumed it was a govt function with adequate resources to do it right. Privatization is always better of course. 
I have emailed twice css on these and other questions and no answer at all in over 2 weeks - they DID get my email tho (that works).
So where is their funding now, I wonder? On the backs of exorbitant fees assessed on many times poor students for giving private information?
some wiki info
…
Wiki on college board ( the parent org - correct?) :
'It is partly funded by grants from various foundations, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation until 2009.[5]
…
'Consumer rights organization Americans for Educational Testing Reform (AETR) has criticized College Board for violating its non-profit status through excessive profits and exorbitant executive compensation; nineteen of its executives make more than $300,000 per year, with CEO Gaston Caperton earning $1.3 million in 2009 ’
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Boardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_Board
That first one looks suspicious. I clicked on both links. The second one remembered me because I had used it on my computer for the past few years.
The first one said.
"Create an account to begin your PROFILE application and submit it to your school.
New accounts are required for everyone for the 2015-16 school year application."
That is not true. We have used the same account for the past three years including this year. We have never had to create a new account. I don’t know why that would be on your school website.
Also, CSS does not accept tax uploads. Only FAFSA links to the IRS. Sorry, but I think you were on a scam website.
Actually, others have said something about the CSS importing tax info this year…but the function is not working well…if at all.
The best way to get an answer…call the College Board.
If you go to the CSS profile through collegeboard.org, you should be able to trust what you are finding. If you are searching google and linking from there, you are probably on a scam site.
phoenix said: ‘If you are searching google and linking from there, you are probably on a scam site.’
this is what I got (another commenter in this thread said this was valid, and indeed looks like the css from yrs past)…
https://profileonline.collegeboard.org/prf/P6ApplicationServlet/P6ApplicationServlet.srv?operation=login
musicmerit said: “Sorry, but I think you were on a scam website.”
To reiterate - Tufts university links to this url. wow.
I called tufts and they know about the issues and they said to use the poorly functioning link. I ti s odd that a broken function/app is in production.
All of the CSS links on this page took me to the correct site. Where are you getting the other link?
http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/apply/NewStudents.asp
ETA -
The returning student website has the wrong link. You should tell Tufts to make it agree with all the new student links.
http://uss.tufts.edu/finaid/apply/ReturningStudents.asp
The uploads are only made to IDOC after completing the CSS, not to the CSS form.