<p>First timer here - the profile question that asks - "enter the amount that your parents think they can contribute toward your tuition, books, etc" - So, my parents say they have no extra money, what do I put? I know that it is a struggle right now just to make ends meet
for a lot of people, but will this be frowned upon by the fin. aid offices if I put $0?</p>
<p>I know of my friends parents who put in 0 and others who put in a couple of thousand. But it needs to be in relation to your EFC.</p>
<p>just put ZERO!</p>
<p>Listen, the school will not penalize you for that. You can own a million dollars, it doesn't matter. Just leave it blank, like I did, or put zero. </p>
<p>The CSS wont matter as much. The school will most likely look at your fafsa. Also, at the end of the CSS, it says, "I filled this to the best of my knowledge." Fine! Just say your parents told you zero, so you put zero. No matter what the school is going to only look at your EFC on the fafsa, the one you don't have any control over.</p>
<p>To say FAFSA matters and CSS does not is simply not true. Private colleges use the CSS to determine their version of what you need. The data for the two forms are different.</p>
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To say FAFSA matters and CSS does not is simply not true. Private colleges use the CSS to determine their version of what you need. The data for the two forms are different.
[/quote]
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<p>Agree. FAFSA is for federal FA dollars, the CSS Profile is for institutional funds. They are two different animals and are both important in receiving FA.</p>