Hey everyone! I am a senior in high school and I am currently applying for FAFSA. However, I have a quick question. What is the CSS Profile? Is it just another way to apply for financial aid (like FAFSA) or is it a completely different thing altogether? If I apply for FAFSA, should I be applying for CSS Profile as well? My parents and I are new to this whole process so I’m just trying to figure out what all I need to do to apply for financial aid. Can any of you awesome people on CC please help me with this? Thanks in advance!
Some colleges only require the FAFSA to be submitted to determine financial aid packages, some colleges also require the CSS profile, which asks for additional family financial information. Some colleges have their own forms to fill out or ask for additional information/copies of tax returns, etc.
You must check what is required by each college by checking the financial aid pages on each college website. Deadlines and required forms will vary for each college, hopefully you did not already miss any financial aid deadlines for Early Action schools.
My daughters all made spreadsheets to keep track of due dates for financial aid forms, because it is very important to meet all deadlines.
FAFSA is usually used by public schools, while many private schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA.
Start here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1486647-financial-aid-faqs.html#latest
Check the financial aid section of each of your college websites. The requirements for submissions as well as,the deadlines will be listed there.
Thanks everyone! I’ve started to look at each college’s website and I think I understand it now.