Should I fill out the College Board CSS profile?? I’m applying to like Stanford, WashU, Duke, UVA (among others), is it required for any of those schools? From my understanding of it its’ just a more detailed version of the FAFSA, but do I actually need it to qualify for any financial aid or will I miss out on additional opportunities if i don’t fill it out? OR should I not fill it out because like that extra detail will reveal my parent’s secret money stashes and make me qualify for even LESS aid than i will before??? Like if I don’t fill it out am I just good with FAFSA? I want to get like maximum amount of money here idk i’m sorry if this question is long slash does not make sense
It is either a ‘have to’ or ‘don’t have to’ situation. If a college you are applying to requires it to give aid then you have to. Otherwise you will only get federal aid and none from the college. To check, look at the financial aid page of each college, it will be clearly stated.
BrownParent is correct. If a school requires the CSS Profile, that school might not process your financial aid application at all if you don’t submit it…because for that school, your financial aid application will be incomplete.
As noted, you would still be able to submit the FAFSA for the Direct Loan…or for any portion of the Pell grant to which you are entitled. But for other aid…no Profile would mean no additional aid.
It sounds as though you haven’t even looked at the financial aid sections of the websites for these colleges (or you would have known whether they required the CSS). If you need financial aid, you must look at these sections very carefully to determine exactly what must be submitted for FA consideration. Don’t depend on anyone’s opinion, even the knowledgeable posters here. College applications require great care and attention to detail. Take the time.
Stanford, Duke, UVA and Wash U all require the Profile for consideration for institutional need based financial aid.
But yes…check the websites…for what is required and the DEADLINES which will vary by college. And don’t miss those deadlines. In fact, smart to submit early as you never know what computer glitch might happen at the last minute.
Usually for these types of schools, you need to fill out CSS (and their is a fee associated with it, by the way).
Make sure you check the FA policies, requirements, and deadlines of the schools you are applying to regarding this otherwise your FA application may be incomplete.