<p>I recently just finished my Fafsa, but I was wondering if I have to submit my CSS to qualify for any aid. I'm mainly speaking because if I have to send the CSS, I don't want to spend money to send the profile out to the colleges. So would it just be ok fi I filled out my FAFSA only and sent it to colleges?</p>
<p>CSS is only required for private colleges; you can Google a list of schools that require it.</p>
<p>Some of the schools on the CSS Profile list do not require it. Two of the schools my S applied to were on that list and when I called them to verify, they said they hadn’t used that form in years. It might be worth just calling the financial aid dept. at the colleges to which you applied.</p>
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<p>If your colleges require the completion of the PROFILE for consideration of institutional need based aid, you will be REQUIRED to complete the form or the school will NOT consider you for institutional aid. </p>
<p>If you complete ONLY the FAFSA, this would be only for consideration of federally funded entitlements…the Pell Grant (if you are eligible)…and you would get a Stafford Loan of $5500 as a freshman…that’s it. </p>
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<p>Well…sort of. The CSS Profile is REQUIRED submission for about 300 colleges/universities. There are several PUBLIC universities that require the Profile in addition to the remaining private colleges.</p>
<p>ALL private universities do NOT require the Profile. I would not suggest using Google to get this information. The BEST place to find it is on each college’s website in the financial aid section.</p>
<p>What you need to do is go to the websites of EACH of your colleges…check to see what THAT school REQUIRES for financial aid application submissions, and send everything they want to them. You will probably find that some of your schools require the Profile and others do not.</p>
<p>Bottom line…the cost of submitting a Profile is small compared to the amount of aid you could net from doing so…if you are eligible for need based aid.</p>
<p>You are applying to Penn. Penn requires the CSS profile in order to distribute their insitutitional aid. If you do not file the CSS profile you will not get any aid other that whatever federal aid that you are eligible for.</p>