<p>According to most reliable calculators, my family's EFC for my college education will be 0 at several schools I am interested in. But on the CSS Profile, which asks "How much do YOU think you can pay," I put down a random sum of money (I can't remember but around $1000) because if needed, my parents will do what they can to help - even if that means taking out loans, taking on more debt, etc. But our EFC is 0 for a reason - we will be unable to pay straight out-of-the-pocket, if that makes any sense. My parents already sacrificed so much for me.</p>
<p>Is this something I should clarify with finaid officers at the colleges I applied to? Will the amount I put down on the CSS Profile override their calculation of 0 EFC? If I said we can "pay" $1000 will they assume that because we can pay this sum every year I no longer qualify for full financial aid?</p>
<p>I'm not sure why they even ask that question, or what they do with the information provided... and I wouldn't worry about how you answered it. Financial aid as determined by the CSS Profile is a mysterious thing.</p>
<p>Also, FA determined by the school may seem to be fairly disconnected from the CSS and/or FAFSA EFCs. AND, you could very well have different EFCs from different schools. It is truly mysterious, as 'rent says above.</p>
<p>Even with a zero EFC, it is very likely you will have to pay something. Most schools expect a student to work and pay a few thousand a year to college unless the family is in truly dire straits to the point of needing the student's income, and if the college is in the position to subsidize fully. Those cases are quite rare. </p>
<p>I really don't know what the ramifications of that number you put in PROFILE will be. It has been a mystery. I think they hope you come up with some hidden resource. If it bothers you, let the fin aid people know with a note. No one really knows how PROFILE schools look at the app. Since it is their own school money, they are allowed a lot of discretion, and are not even necessarily consistent within their own department. How much the school wants you figures into their interpretations as well, at times. They look at info that really is not officially for college use like qualifed pension accounts and make decisions taking a lot of things into account that are not always hard numbers. I don't think anyone other than the fin aid person evaluating your app can answer how that question you answered will be viewed.</p>
<p>At schools that require it, PROFILE overrides FAFSA, with PROFILE often resulting in a higher family contribution than FAFSA, but not always (each school determines the actual family contribution). Students are indeed often required to work part time, and many schools require loans in the student's name (as opposed to parent loans), perhaps around 10% of the cost of attendance. Requiring work and loans lets colleges with limited endowments help a greater number of students.</p>
<p>CSS Profile is, indeed, a murky business, but if the "profile" it presents to the FA people at the college shows some hardship, it will most likely culminate in a better FA award than the FAFSA. This has been our experience so far. Information about such things as cars (older models as opposed to recently purchased or leased) and residence (no mortgage but estimated value on the lower side) will, even if accompanied by a modest income in the 80-100 thousand dollar range, present a picture of people who have made sacrifices in their daily lives. I think the profile is an interpretive tool to see how much fat can be trimmed, and if you're lean and mean chances are you won't be needing to cut back on that European vacation this year because you haven't gone on one since the little tykes popped out of the oven. That's my read anyway, relativity.</p>