HELP! Sent CSS Profile, but not FAFSA for my early action school

<p>i guess i made a bad move by relying on my dad to do the financial aid things, but when i told him that i needed him to send CSS/FASFA for me, he thought they were the same thing and only sent the CSS. </p>

<p>the deadline was back on nov 01, but i was deferred. so at this point, should i send the 2006-2007 FAFSA on web, or wait until Jan 1 and send the 2007-2008 FAFSA on web? and how should i explain to this college that i screwed up majorly? (not that it hurt them, because i was deferred and they never even considered financial aid for me yet...but this major slip does say something about me...)</p>

<p>you didn't screw up. you're supposed to wait unti jan. 1, 2007 to send the 2007-2008 fafsa.</p>

<p>but the deadline was supposedly nov 1...for everything.
including css/fafsa (so was i supposed to send a different fafsa?)</p>

<p>ahhhhh financial aid is annoying.</p>

<p>NO the deadline for the FAFSA for entry fall 2007 cannot be November 2006. The form is not available for filing until January 1. Check the website again...I can't imagine that they would want the 2006 FAFSA (which uses 2005 tax year information) since federal aid is based on the income/assets from the 2006 tax year.</p>

<p>Thumper, what do early programs use to give financial aid estimates when they send out their acceptances? I know several kids who received financial aid packages along with their early acceptances. They were not final, being subject to changes in financial situation in that current unfinished year, but they did give estimates. They must have used the prior year's FAFSA,</p>

<p>Since you were deferred, your deadlines are now with the RD kids. I doubt they had to send stuff in by Nov1. For EA they probably wanted estimates based on 2005 tax return to give estimated financial packages for those accepted early. Check what the deadlines are for RD. Doubt it would be Nov 1 since the apps are generally not due until end of year for RD, and they may as well wait for the 1/1/07 FAFSA.</p>

<p>cptofthehouse, I remember that one school that my son applied to last year, uses the fafsa only for RD, but asks for the profile to use for ED/EA applicants only.</p>

<p>DD applied EA to two schools. She was accepted at one in December, the other in January. Both schools sent her estimated finaid award in February. Their priority filing dates for the Profile were in November. The FAFSA (will file status) was done on January 2 using last pay stubs from the calendar year. Neither award was finalized until the taxes were completed...which we did on Feb 1 and then we amended the FAFSA, and mailed amended Profile forms to the schools. One school adjusted her aid DOWN $3000 per year. The other school's award didn't change at all. Go figure.</p>

<p>That is why it pays to shop around. ED is not the way to go if you need or want money because even similar schools using similar or even same methodology can give out disparate packages. Maybe $3000 is not a lot to some people, but I think it is a nice amount of money, especially if you are struggling to make the COA.</p>

<p>cptofthehouse...DD applied EA not ED. She was able to compare finalized finaid offers. ED was NOT the way to go. Yes $3000 is a lot of money...but after a post acceptance overnight at the school, DD didn't choose to go there anyway. AND that school was not interested in "discussing" their finaid adjustment at all. Another nail in that admission's coffin.</p>

<p>To the OP...file your FAFSA after January 1.</p>

<p>Is it a problem if I never sent the Profile for my EA schools? I thought I'd just do all the Financial Aid forms at once, and since the FAFSA isn't even released until 2007, I didn't bother looking into CSS Profile.</p>

<p>Turns out "early" filing dates for my schools were sometime in November, but priority deadlines aren't until February (earliest). Is it a problem that I applied EA but my Profile is sent with the RD bunch?</p>