So I know that each college has its own due date for the CSS Profile, but I wasn’t sure when to submit mine. I heard the FAFSA is first come, first serve now (and gives federal aid). I also figured that the sooner you get the CSS Profile in, the more likely you are to get a lot of aid. However, should I submit it to my schools before my regular applications or after?
By whatever deadline they have set for sure. They have a fixed formula for aid, so generally being very early isn’t going to help. But it doesn’t hurt. There is more to send than the Profile, they need whatever other documents (like tax returns) to finalize your aid offer.
The most important thing is to submit before the deadline. I don’t know if there is any advantage to submitting early, but I suppose it can’t hurt if you are ready to submit. The only thing that might be worth waiting for is if you have a large purchase soon. Then you may want to wait until after that so your assets are a little smaller (probably won’t make a huge difference, but, hey, every little bit counts!).