<p>Yikes, just got an email from Drexel reminding EA applicants that if they are interested in financial aid, they must submit the CSS Profile by the EA deadline. </p>
<p>For non-EA applicants, they require FAFSA only, by February 15th.</p>
<p>I imagine that they are trying to provide timely finaid offers to their EA applicants, especially given their astronomical costs, and since you can't submit the FAFSA before Jan 1, they are asking for the Profile early in addition. </p>
<p>My question is -- if we are willing to wait until spring for our financial aid award, can we wait and just do the FAFSA in February? My DS will be applying to other schools that require the profile, but none that require it before February, so filling it out with guesses now is going to be a waste of time (especially since my DH is self-employed, and his income is extremely unpredictable). In addition, my DS is a NMSF, and if he advances to NMF and gets the Drexel NMF full-tuition award, he won't be eligible for any need-based aid in any case, so again filling out the Profile now is likely to be a waste of time. I just want to make sure that if for some reason the NMF thing doesn't come through, he won't have completely lost his ability to apply for need-based aid at Drexel (although chances are that without the scholarship, even with need-based aid, Drexel is unlikely to be affordable for us).</p>
<p>I have emailed the question to Drexel (to get an answer in writing) but of course they are busy this time of year, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this.</p>
<p>I don’t have much help to offer, as we are in the same situation (minus the NMSF–DD missed the cutoff by a point). I’m planning to call Drexel on monday and ask about the CSS Profile requirement. We’d prefer to just wait on the financial aid decision. We will be waiting on all the other schools she is applying to anyway. I doubt we’ll qualify for need based aid, and I don’t think Drexel will offer enough merit aid, based on what I’ve read. We’re pretty confident she’ll be accepted, but Drexel is expensive and the financing is a longshot. In this situation I hate to write yet another check to the College Board to file the CSS profile for just this one school if waiting a little longer will get us the same information for free.</p>
<p>We also got that email and I am planning to call Monday as well. Filling out the CSS Profile this early seems to be a waste of time. I actually graduated from Drexel back in the Stone Age when tuition was only $2K a year. Things sure have changed. My D has already been accepted at Pitt, and that costs much less than Drexel, even at OOS rates.</p>
<p>I was told from people who work in Enrollment Management that the CSS profile is only required if you would like to receive an estimated financial aid package with your Early Action acceptance.</p>
<p>I spoke to admissions just now got the same info as PetitPapillon – they said that CSS profile is not required, and is only needed if you want to get an estimated financial aid package with your admission offer.</p>
<p>I also did just get a reply by email confirming the same answer.</p>
<p>I should have checked here first before calling yesterday. Same question - same answer. It would have been nice for this to be clarified on the EA Admissions website as opposed the the phrase “EA applicants…are required to submit”.</p>
<p>SoofDad - I followed you a few years later. I think tuition was up to $9K when I graduated.</p>
<p>I went to the open house and they talked about this. A lot of people questioned whether or not it was mandatory and the answer was that it is NOT required. And it is NOT the scholarships you would get. It is only an estimate. so I personally think it is a waste and I’d rather just wait till i get the real offers after the FAFSA submission</p>