<p>Hi,
If I am not applying for financial aid and applying to a few ivies and other need blind schools, is there any reason to send in the FAFSA? and if I do send the FAFSA what about CSS? is there any reason to send it?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Some schools will NOT permit you to apply for any institutional aid in subsequent years unless you apply as an incoming freshman. This means that if you needed institutional aid for some reason in future years you would not be able to apply for it. I would suggest you check…unless your parents have all of the money in the bank for all four years of college and are very certain they will never need to apply for aid. This will vary by school so you will need to check them all. Some schools have this policy and some do not.</p>
<p>If you ONLY want the Stafford loan then you only need to file a FAFSA.</p>
<p>I would send it just to be safe, even if you think you don’t need it. Also, some merit scholarships require that you fill them out.</p>
<p>Ok so there would be no disadvantage to sending in the FAFSA right?
We aren’t super rich, but my parents do have money saved for basically all four years, but they might retire soon so applying for financial aid in the future might be an option.
The CSS is the one that I’m wondering about more because it costs money for each school and if I’m not going to apply for aid then it seems unnecessary.</p>
<p>Wait on the Profile until you know where you are going.</p>
<p>Shamgod208 -</p>
<p>Since your parents are approaching retirement, and you do not have all of the money for all four years stashed away yet, there is the outside chance that you could need some aid in the future. So, file the FAFSA for sure. It’s free, and pretty easy. </p>
<p>You also need to contact each of the places on your list that require the CSS Profile, and ask them VERY SPECIFICALLY about their aid policies. Do you have to apply this year so that they have a record of your situation in case things change in the future? If the answer is Yes for one or more of them, then file the CSS Profile, and have it sent to the place(s) that follow that kind of policy. If all of the answers are No, then you can forget about the Profile until you actually need it if you ever do need it.</p>
<p>Thank you very much, I will start calling each college to see if the CSS is required.</p>