<p>Self-explanatory. If student A sends their CSS on January 26, whereas student B sent it on January 15, will this have any impact on the financial aid they will receive?</p>
<p>Extra info: I'm an int'l, so I don't use FAFSA.</p>
<p>Bump10char</p>
<p>The first come first served things I know about are FAFSA related…and are for limited funding per campus federal need based aid awards…federal work study, Perkins Loans, SEOG if the school has it.</p>
<p>I suppose it is possible that some Profile schools award institutional aid on a first come/first served basis, but I have no first hand knowledge of this…and have not heard about it happening.</p>
<p>there is very very very limited aid for international students. Also remember that your ability to pay will be a factor at most schools. In your case, since the number of slots are limited, the sooner you get your stuff in, the better you will be if you are a viable candidate for admissions and the school decides to fund you.</p>
<p>To answer your specific question as to whether there would be a difference in aid amounts between students who filed Jan 15 vs Jan 26, it is possible. It depends upon how a financial aid office operates. Some may look at the postmark and go strictly by the date. Or all of the apps that are received during a certain time period may be put into a batch, and pure luck will determine which one gets processed first. Or some other ordering process may be in effect. It can vary and schools do not share info so specific. However, as a general rule, yes, it is better to get the paperwork in as early as you can, because even if strict postmarks are not observed, some general order usually is and your chances of being one of the first ones to be processed are higher, when your file is complete when fin aid grabs the paperwork.</p>
<p>However, as an international student, most schools will have a separate pool for funds for internationals, and you won’t be directly competing with US students. If the school is not need blind for internationals, your need will be a factor even at the admissions level. Some schools do not even give aid to international students. So, again, it depends upon the school. The financial aid officers at each specific school could give you their process, but they are highly unlikely to share the details with anyone. But you can get some better idea.</p>