I have a quick question regarding the CSS profile. I believe that USC and Stanford require the profile to be filled out, but admission decisions have not been released from any of these two colleges. Making the CSS profile costs money and my parents and I are kind of hesitant to fill a profile out because we haven’t even been notified of whether I made it into the colleges or not.
Regardless, is making the CSS profile absolutely necessary? I don’t want to drop more money but I know that this is probably just another way CollegeBoard is getting their money Does anyone know more about this?
Colleges need to prepare a FA package for you so you can decide whether it is worth attending if you are accepted. I’d strongly encourage you to meet the FA deadlines on each college website if you want to be assured of getting the best FA offer possible from the school. You can’t wait until the decision unless the college has late dates on their website.
If you want financial aid, it is necessary to submit and submit early. Anyway, the admission results are likely after the submission deadline. The FA office has only a couple weeks to prepare the FA package so you can make decision before May 1. They need to have all those information ready by the time of admission.
I agree that paying to send the report to a school you are not sure you will be admitted to is more than annoying. But it is another cost of applying to college that you must consider when deciding where to apply and how many apps to submit. Many schools require that you MUST submit the CSS profile to be considered for any aid, including loans. Not submitting the form renders you ineligible for grants and school loans (which may be substantially cheaper that private loans). Some schools only require it for the first year.
There are a few schools that let you wait (I think Carleton used to, not sure about now, for example). But you need to meet the deadlines on the website.
Does anyone know more about this?