<p>Several CSS/Profile colleges assume a student contribution of a few thousand dollars (3-4K), the amount one could expect to earn from a summer job. So the OP’s “a few thousand” may make no difference at all. If your EFC is at or above the COA, you won’t be given more grant aid if you are able to “hide” the student money; you’ll just be told to take out more loans to make up the difference.</p>
<p>Personally I think the benefits of your D having her own account and managing her own money far outweigh any minor (and unlikely) benefits of hiding her money within yours. This is assuming the amount is a minor figure (i.e. not 20K).</p>