<p>i know wat fafsa is and everything....
but what is this CSS profile thing?
im lost....
can someone explain
thanks</p>
<p>You need to carefully read the financial aid policies for each school you are considering. Most schools require FAFSA as the first step for financial aid. In addition, some schools require Profile or their own form. FAFSA is necessary in order to get government aid. Many colleges have additional stipulations and questions before they will release any of their own money which is where Profile and other apps come into play.</p>
<p>The profile also includes assets that FASFA doesn't consider - most importantly home equity. It provides a more complete picture of a family's net worth. Unfortunately it can work against folks who are house rich but income poor, particularly those in areas with high real estate values. In our limited experience it seems that the schools that were "need blind" were the ones that wanted the profile.
One more thing - the FAFSA is free - the profile costs money to send - can't remember how much but I considered it excessive for a non-profit to charge.</p>