<p>I have never filed a tax form.</p>
<p>My younger sister is not going to college yet.</p>
<p>PARENTS:
Adjusted Gross Income: 200,000
Total Investments: 365,000
Home: 450,000</p>
<p>I go to a public school, so no tuition.</p>
<p>Should I even bother paying to submit a CSS Profile?</p>
<p>I think most are going to say that you should, just in case something happens to your family that could dramatically change your financial situation. With that kind of money though, it looks like your family would be able to pay for any school you wanted to attend without problems.</p>
<p>What’s more, my parents own a business.</p>
<p>No debts. Everything is optimal.</p>
<p>Every calculator I’ve used, the financial need seems to be zero.</p>
<p>I would apply if there was a 1% chance it’ll help me. Do I even have that 1%?</p>
<p>Do you really need the help? If not, it really doesn’t matter. Unless there’s something that hasn’t been mentioned, it doesn’t look like you have any need at all if they have you covered and plan on covering the bill. </p>
<p>You’re lucky, I must tell you.</p>
<p>What do your parents say? Are they willing to foot the bill? Because if so, I say use that money you were very lucky to be born into and let someone without the same resources get the financial aid. Just my $0.02.</p>
<p>codexaenir, I don’t think that you stand a chance at financial aid. I know several families in “worse” situations which receive no aid. I don’t think that you have 1% chance. I’m afraid that with the figures that you’ve listed, even when your sister is in college, the chance that you will get aid is incredibly slim.</p>
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I’m very happy for you and your sister that your parents have provided for you so well. Congratulations, you do not need any aid, and do not need to waste any time filling out FA forms.</p>
<p>Do some colleges require that you have a CSS profile on file in order to get merit aid, or is it just for need based aid?</p>
<p>One reason to fill out the FAFSA and CSS is to get an unsubsidized Stafford Loan. Everyone can get these, no matter how high the income and assets. Because it is unsubsidized, it means you (or your parents) have to make interest payments while you are in school. However, the loan rate is pretty low (6.8%). </p>
<p>You can complete those forms after you get accepted, if you want to.</p>
<p>Well, the Stafford is a federal loan, so if that’s all someone is applying for, I don’t think a CSS woudl be necessary, even at Profile schools, because it has no bearing on whether you get the Stafford, which is determined by FAFSA EFC only.</p>
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<p>Yes. Some colleges require that the FAFSA and if required by the school the Profile be completed for any kind of aid including merit aid. You need to check with each college to determine if this applies or not.</p>
<p>Yes, you should! Even though you won’t get significant aid, if you are looking at the top privates requiring 50k+ I think you could still get about 5000 in aid if you live in an expensive state. (Northeast or California)</p>
<p>You should look into merit aid.</p>
<p>Apply to schools which offer merit aid and where place you in the 75% of the applicant pool.</p>