<p>I do not qualify for any financial aid according to my FAFSA student aid report. Would it even be worth it for me to apply for a CSS profile?</p>
<p>I am a Mom of a HS Sr...and I seem to remember someone telling me that even though you "don't qualify" for financial aide, the FAFSA/CSS are sometimes used in conjuntion with merit aide. I could be totally off base. Does someone else know differently?</p>
<p>bumppppppp</p>
<p>APOL is right. If you want any aid (including merit) schools want to see the appropriate financial data.</p>
<p>It depends on the school. Check the school website. Many schools specifically state whether or not they require FAFSA and CSS for merit aid, or just for financial "need" based aid. None of the schools D applied to require FAFSA and CSS for merit aid.</p>
<p>I really don't get why CSS makes you pay money to see if you qualify for financial aid.</p>
<p>You pay CSS because they are offering a central service to the schools to channel the information to them. The company that runs CSS needs to pay for their costs. If there weren't a central clearing house for this information then each school would have to request it and you would be filling out multiple slightly different forms with similar information.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>You pay CSS because they are offering a central service to the schools to channel the information to them. The company that runs CSS needs to pay for their costs.>></p> </blockquote>
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<p>The company that does the Profile is a FOR PROFIT company. That is why you pay (through the nose, in my opinion) for their services. It is also why you have to pay for each additional submission. For profit. The reality is that except for things like home value/equity, the FREE FAFSA provides much the same information to the colleges. And it's free....easier to submit, easier to amend online (you cannot amend the Profile online) and it NOT for profit which is why you don't pay. Oh...and many schools still have their own finaid application forms in addition to the FAFSA and Profile. Many students end up completing all three (been there, done that).</p>
<p>I think you're incorrect about the profit/nonprofit status of the organization that produces the CSS Profile. The CSS Profile is a product of the College Board, which is a non-profit organization.</p>
<p>ok...so it costs them $18 dollars for each college? yea right, It cost them a couple thousand to develop the software/formula. And about $5 in shipping/processing costs. People have been using this for years. Obviously they have gotten their ROI.</p>
<p>"Not for profit" does not mean free, nor does it mean that they cannot make money. It simply means that the company is not owned by stockholders and it is not an investment vehicle. It is run by a Board of Trustees rather than a Board of Directors. The company can pay its employees (and can pay them a lot if it desires), and can earn profits as long as those profits are retained for the benefit of the company and its business, rather than distributed to "owners."</p>
<p>Thus, College Board is a non-profit, as is Harvard. Both make money. Both are allowed to do so.</p>