Does the CSS profile actually help? I need to reduce tuition from 62,000 to 32,000. Is that unrealistic?
The Profile will only help you IF the financial information on it leads your college to award you institutional need based aid.
The Profile is a financial aid application form. It doesn’t award aid…it is used by some colleges to help determine awarding of their institutional need based aid.
Did you do the fafsa already? What was your EFC on the fafsa?
Your family contribution to the colleges will be largely based on your parent income and assets. How high is your parent income?
Also…the very vast majority of colleges do not meet full need for all,accepted students.
Are you saying your parents can pay $30,000 a year? I know of NO college where tuition alone is $62,000…are you talking about the full cost of attendance!
Are you also looking at colleges within your price range…as defined by your parents? $30,000 should cover the cost of an instate public university.
What are your SAT or ACT scores and GPA? Any chance you could garner merit aid someplace (applications for generous merit awards are usually due before December 1).
Where are you applying to college?
If my numbers are right, FAFSA EFC’ was about 5000.00. Yes, my parents can manage 30,000. I not interested in a public univ. I plan to apply test optional to certain private schools that are listing total college cost at 60,000.00 Are you saying that it will be impossible for a school to cut tuition to our limit?
I applied to Syracuse, Wake, American Univ. and Dennsion
What is your parent annual income?
The CSS Profile looks into a LOT more detail than the fafsa does. For many colleges, it will include primary home equity.
Are your parents married? Do they own a business? Are they self employed?
If your FAFSA EFC is $5000…that would mean your annual income is in the $40,000 a year range…right? How can your family pay $30,000 a year for you to go to college if their income is low enough for a $5000 FAFSA EFC.
Some of the test optional colleges do meet full need for all accepted students. It is possible that your need could be met…but really…not enough info here to tell you.
Ea h college has a Net Price Calculator. Have you run your financials through the NPCs for your colleges of interest? If your parents are not self employed, are not business owners, are married, and don’t own real estate other than your primary residence, the NOC should give you a good ball park of your net costs at the colleges.
Start there.
They are married. We are a family of five dependent on one salary. My father works on 100% commision salary and last year he reported 140,000. The amount saved is from a 529 plan
None of those 4 schools “meet need”. Even if they admit you, they will likely gap you – you will definitely have more than your FAFSA EFC to cover. But if a school asks for the profile, you must complete it to be granted any need based aid. What state do you live in?
pennsylvania
None of these expensive private colleges meet full need for all accepted students. Denison does give decent merit aid.
With an income of $140,000 for the year (2016 is the year you should have used for the fafsa 2018-2019)…your EFC would be much higher than $5000…MUCH higher. Like $35,000 a year. Not $5000.
Can you explain in more detail of your last post
Thanks for this information. This is actually disappointing because if it was not for my 529 plan, there is no way I can even think of applying there. My parents can barely make my private high school tuition. They are trying to save for their retirement and college for my other two brothers.
For the 2018-2019 FAFSA, you use tax return, income and tax info from the 2016 tax return. Did you do that?
If your parent income was $140,000…I’m not sure how your EFC would have been only $5000. Was that their gross income? What was the adjusted gross income?
Do you have four sibl8ngs in college?
Your parents are paying private HS tuition…? That is a choice they have made.
Have you looked at instate public college options?
What are your SAT or ACT scores? And GPA. It’s possible that Denison might give you sufficient merit aid…maybe.
Did you run the net price calculators for the above colleges? What net costs did they give you?
Just adding…go ahead and apply to the above listed colleges. You never know…but be prepared just in case the money doesn’t come from the schools.
You really need some sure thing colleges on your list…this means places that will be affordable AND where you will get admitted. Right now…you have expensive colleges…that might…or might not end up being affordable.
My GPA is 3.9 weighted. SAT’s were not that high: 1040. Have not yet run the net price calculators
Run the net price calculators. Do them ASAP.
Given your SAT score…merit aid is not going to likely be plentiful…any chance you retook the test?
I do think you have a chance to be accepted at Denison, but the others on your list…are not sure things for admission in my opinion.
Who crafte this list of colleges?
You need some sure things for admission that are also going to be affordable.
All those schools listed except for Syracuse are test optional.
That is why I applied to them.
With the exception of Syracuse, these schools are test optional. That is why I was thinking of applying to them.
Oh good…that they are test optional.
Please please…run the net price calculators for all of these colleges.