Not Applying for Financial Aid - CSS Profile and FAFSA?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

I know this isn’t a very sexy topic, but I will be forever grateful to the person who answers me :slight_smile: I am an international student (South Korea) applying ED, no financial aid.

  • Do I still have to fill out the CSS Profile or the FAFSA?

I understand that even students not applying for aid have to prove they have the adequate financial circumstances to attend a university. Are these forms used for that purpose? I also read on Edupass that “many schools will ask international students to submit a FAFSA so that they may use the data for assessing financial need” but I wasn’t sure if Brown did. The website says that international students asking for financial aid needed to complete the Profile, but said nothing about students not asking for aid or FAFSA.

  • If so, what year of the "federal tax returns" and "other documents" should I prepare?

Please be specific! My parents are placing a lot of trust in me because they do not understand the US college application process. What kind of paperwork should I ask them to prepare? So far, I’ve scoured the internet and found this list. If this is incorrect, or if there is additional material I need to consult, please tell me!

2015 federal tax returns.
W-2 forms or other records of income for 2015 and 2016.
Records of untaxed income for 2015 and 2016.
Bank statements.
Mortgage information.
Records of savings, stocks, bonds and trusts.

  • The first question asks for a Social Security Number. If I do not have a US citizenship, how should I answer this question?

This is the most important question!!! If nothing else, please help with this one! I saw on Quora that some schools have a specific number for international students, but I don’t know how credible that is… :smiley: If anyone is in the same situation, or know someone who has done this before, please help!

Note: Are these dumb questions to be asking? Ha Ha Ha I have no clue what I’m doing… No one else seems to be having difficulties, but I am really worried. If anyone takes the time to answer, thank you so very much!

2

You will NOT file a FAFSA if you are not a citizen. If Brown asks you to print out a copy and submit it to them, then you would just leave all the questions like SSN blank because you don’ t have one. FAFSA is for citizens, so that’s why they ask for things US citizens would have - tax returns, W2, bank statements. The FAFSA does not ask for mortgage information.

I would wait until Brown asks for this. It is really unlikely they will if you aren’t applying for FA. There are other documents a foreign student needs to fill out to show they have the funds to go to school in the US, but those forms are for the visa, not for FA. FAFSA and CSS are financial aid documents, so I can’t imagine Brown, or any other school where you aren’t asking for aid, would want you to fill them out especially as a ‘ghost’ document.

And should you actually be asked to fill them out, the FAFSA for 2018 will open on Oct1. You would use 2016 income and tax information.

3

If you don’t apply for financial aid, you don’t fill out the CSS profile (and FAFSA is for citizens only). The form you need to certify that you can pay is called “certification of finances” and Brown will send it to you or provide you with a link. If in doubt, email Brown international admissions and ask how you can get the certification of finances form.

4

Thank you both so much for your advice! This was very clear and helpful. I must have gotten the “certification of finances” mixed up with these two forms.