<p>Several of the colleges I'm applying to require the FAFSA and the CSS. My parents filled out the FAFSA yesterday and today I introduced them to the CSS. They have a huge problem with how much money it costs to fill that out and send it in; can we just not fill out the CSS and still get the federal aid that might come with the FAFSA? In other words, will colleges throw out my aid application if it doesn't have both?</p>
<p>Also, some of the deadines for the CSS are before I receive notification letters; what's the point of filling it out and sending the money if I don't know if I even got into the college? Why can't you fill it out after you get in if you need to? (Kind of my own personal whining there, but if there's an actual answer, I'd love to know.) </p>
<p>Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>If you've already done the legwork to complete the FAFSA, completing the Profile won't be that hard. It uses many of the same numbers, but crunches them differently. It's only $5 to register, and $18 per school -- so just over $100 for six schools, for example. They waive fees for high need applicants.</p>
<p>If your colleges require both, you need to complete both, or they won't consider you for financial aid. The aid offers don't come from the FAFSA or the Profile, they come from the individual schools. You need to meet all deadlines.</p>
<p>So let's get this straight. Your parents don't want to spend $100 and forgo the opportunity for thousands. The mathematics here don't make sense.</p>
<p>Keep your eyes on the big picture, not the little pieces.</p>
<p>Yeah, you're definitely right with keeping the eye on the big picture, but the preliminary amount the FAFSA threw back at us with how much they're expecting us to pay is humongous anyway, and we're almost wondering if it's not worth it to keep pursuing the aid. We're stuck in the middle class squeeze everyone talks about. I just want to know if it's absolutely necessary to fill out the CSS, and apparently it is. So...guess we'll be doing that.</p>
<p>There are often tremendous discrepencies between FAFSA and Profile EFC's. You can go check an estimator and compare the two before filing if it will help.</p>
<p>I prefer the one at collegeboard.com</p>
<p>Keep in mind, many schools want the forms for merit awards as well.</p>
<p>If you want any aid from your school, you probably need to fill out the CSS - with FAFSA you only apply for aid from the government.</p>