<p>Oldest S only applied to FAFSA schools so this is my first time 'round with CSS. First off not liking the fact that there is a cost involved to ask for money that seems alittle bit of a rip off or at the very least oxymoronic. And then there is an ad SELLING a book about college financing, talk about an instant turn-off. Rant over. So I'm cheap, but is there a paper version you can just fill out and mail to the colleges? Anyway, I read the instructions, but I'm not seeing how you update the CSS after you finish your taxes in January and you can't scroll through the site to see all the information without actually filling stuff in. The EA schools want the Profile early which is not a big deal to estimate, but do you just go back in and update and hit submit again in January like you do for FAFSA? When you update do you does it just submit to your original list of schools?</p>
<p>You need to print it out as you originally submit it, then go back to it (on paper) and manually adjust the numbers once you have your final tax info. Then you submit that to the school(s) themselves, not going back through the online CSS application.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t you just submit it to the early action school and then do a new one for the rest of the schools after Jan. 1 when you have all your tax info?</p>
<p>'rentof2 - are you sure?? That doesn’t make sense since the whole thing is automated it doesn’t make sense you would update on paper and mail in changes, makes no sense at all. I’ll call the Helpdesk number, if you can submit paper for changes, then you must be able to submit originals on paper. If you must do it electronically, then you must be able to do changes electronically…</p>
<p>I have never done a CSS but have seen on CC every year that the only way to update it is manually.</p>
<p>I’ll report back what the helpdesk says when I call the help number tomorrow.</p>
<p>That’s how we had to do it, but that was a couple years ago. Perhaps they’ve changed the process, but last I heard you had to submit any corrections, amendments, updates via snail mail directly to the college(s).</p>
<p>You’re right about it being inconsistant. You cannot submit it on paper initially. The difference is because the first time you submit it’s going to the CollegeBoard and they don’t deal with paper apps. When you send in corrections it’s going to the colleges themeselves, and they don’t have the ability to directly access the electronic files of the CollegeBoard. So, it actually does make sense… but it’s odd at first glance.</p>
<p>The good part about making those changes and submitting it manually is that you aren’t going to have to shell out <em>yet another</em> fee to the CollegeBoard to handle those updates!</p>
<p>Unless of course they have since changed this, in which case I’m sure they’ll find a way to charge you for the service.</p>
<p>College Board is receiving my financial info? There must be a pass through like bill pay services so sending paper changes to the college really doesn’t make sense if the initial transaction is electronic that the “college” which is who I am doing business with cannot acccess the information that I am transmitting I assume to them. Hmmm, maybe I’ll just do the work and print paper and send directly to the school. If you can send paper changes, then you must be able somehow to print out paper from the website if only for your files. I’ll definitely report back tomorrow. The more I think about this the more this whole thing feels really icky and not very comfortable from a security perspective. I’m not sure I feel comfortable paying a third party to process private financial info like this when my business is ultimately with the college. I’ll have to go back to the website and see what legalease is in there regarding your information security too before I call the Helpdesk – it was like you clicked and then you were putting in social security numbers ad personal info, I tried to advance to see what else was in there but you can’t advance until you “fill in.” I can create fake entries to try to get to the end and see what’s there, too I suppose.</p>
<p>I concur with 'rentof2, submitting electronically and making up-dates manually is what I did for my D who’s now a jr. You should submit to the EA school separately, and then send to RD schools when you’ve finished taxes. That way you’ll only need to send corrections to one school.</p>
<p>Yes, the CSS Profile is an operation of the CollegeBoard. They charge you a fee to file, and colleges subscribe (at a fee, too). They are paying for the convenience of centralized processing. After you file the Profile, you will generally be required to submit to them copies of your tax returns, W-2forms, and various other things depending on what your specific colleges require. These are then scanned and submitted electronically to the colleges.</p>
<p>A friend of mine asked her son’s college if she could just send them those supporting documents directly and they said that was okay. You could ask your specific school about that. If you’re applying to a lot of schools, it woud be much easier to just send that stuff once to the CollegeBoard.</p>
<p>The secuity thing is not a button of mine, so I don’t really care about that part, personally. Mostly, it just seems like a racket.</p>
<p>And, momofthreeboys, it would be great if you could come back and let us know what the help desk says. It’s always helpful to have really current information.</p>
<p>Look very carefully at the financial aid web pages of the college your child is applying to. S2 is applying to a number of privates, but only one requires the Profile. That one says, in fine print and buried in the financial aid pages, that there is an alternative. Parents can fill out a statement of assets instead (free!) and submit it directly to the college. I felt like I got a get-out-of-jail-free card in finding that little piece of information.</p>
<p>YMMV of course.</p>
<p>Thank’s Vball and great tip, I’ll read the fine print of the college website, too. I had to submit tax forms one year via snail mail to S1’s college for FAFSA verification so I copied and mailed, but right now many warning bells going off about security with this intermediary system and how it might work, but again, When I get a break today from meetings, etc., I’ll call and ask many questions. I’d never, ever scan personal documents of the nature that would contain enough info to steal identity and upload to a 3rd party internet system anyway. We had one of our bank accounts emptied in an identity theft several years ago, so I am way, way vigilent about cyberspace and protecting things like that if anything sounds “wierd” or “off” to me. Since this is my first go-round with this particular process I need to understand how it works, etc. The fee and the “ad” sent off the first warning bell, then hearing that the colleges still need stuff on paper sent off a second warning bell, then hearing that people submit identity sensitive documents to it instead of directly to the college sent off third warning bells.</p>
<p>I contacted the helpdesk and there is no “way” to update information, you need to print paper and send which is a huge warning bell to me. Why can the you not update your information? Why can’t the colleges access the update? How long do they “store” this information? I’m not comfortable with this method on any level. Thanks to Vmom because I did locate a college specific form that can be used for one of S2’s college and for the other, they will just get paper and just have to “deal with it”. If they can “deal with” paper changes, they can deal with a paper original. Not only did one of our bank accounts get compromised a couple years ago I remembered that S1’s Stafford provider had a “laptop disappear” during his freshman year and the provider is paying for 3 years of credit report monitoring because his personal information has the potential to be compromised and he now at age 20 has a security alert on his FICO etc. I personally do not feel safe using this processor. They (College Board) are the people that do SATs, they sell books and things and they sell data mined information, they do all kinds of things not related to the financial industry, they are involved in a whole lot of “stuff.” No thanks, I won’t use it.</p>
<p>I’m glad my tip was helpful to you, momof3, and that you were able to find a college-specific form for one of your S’s schools. I doubt that colleges with their own forms is a trend though. The CB is pretty well-entrenched. Keep questioning the system though - I’m rooting for you!</p>