<p>My parents don't want me to submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile, yet I'm not sure whether colleges actually require them as part of my application. Like if I don't complete the FAFSA and CSS Profile, will colleges consider my application to be incomplete?</p>
<p>No, they don’t have anything to do with admissions applications. They are financial aid applications. If you do not need aid you do not need to fill them out. There are some good reasons to submit them anyway, but no they are not necessary as long as your parents can pay the college costs.</p>
<p>As long as it is clear to your parents that their decision means you will not get $.01 in aid or Stafford loans. In addition, many schools require the FAFSA in order to be considered for merit scholarship awards. </p>
<p>So your family will pay every cent of college costs.</p>
<p>I’m trying to determine if we would be at an any disadvantage by NOT submitting FAFSA and CSS Profile. Our EFC is very high at $75k. The schools we’re applying to do not require the FAFSA or CSS Profile to be considered for merit aid. We do not anticipate needing a Stafford Loan. So, would we be at an advantage or disadvantage by NOT submitting these forms?</p>
<p>Violinparent, you can always file a FAFSA any year if you need the Stafford unsubsidized loan. Some schools require that for institutional aid in later years you need to have filed as a freshman, but the FAFSA is a government program and is not dependent on any particular school’s policy about dispensing their own need-based aid. And you already said they don’t require the FAFSA for merit-based aid.</p>
<p>You would not be at disadvantage by not submitting the forms as long as you feel you can afford to pay the college costs, either by yourself or in addition to any merit aid your child may get from the school.</p>