<p>I'm totally new at this.. very confused..</p>
<p>can someone give me a simple explain explanation about the difference between the two?
which one is better? or which one do you suggest i fill out?</p>
<p>You don’t have a choice about which one to fill out. Your school will tell you which forms they require and you must do those forms if you want to be considered for financial aid.</p>
<p>FAFSA is the free application for federal student aid. Almost every school will require it for consideration for financial aid. (there are maybe 1 or 2 that do not accept federal funds and do not require FASFA). FAFSA produces a number called the EFC which stands for Expected Family Contribution. It is a bit of a misnomer as it does not mean this is all you will pay. It is just a number used to determine what federal aid you are eligible for. For instance the main federal grant, the Pell grant, requires an EFC of about 5270 or less to receive any Pell. Some States also use FAFSA results to determine your eligibility for State funded need based aid. Some schools may also use the FAFSA EFC to determine whether you will receive any institutional (their own money) aid.</p>
<p>CSS is a form used by only about 300 schools. You have to pay to submit CSS (I believe it is $25 for the first CSS and $18 or $16 for any additional schools). The schools that require CSS are generally private and generally expensive and often have very generous FA policies. They will require FAFSA and CSS. FAFSA to determine your eligibility for federal aid, and CSS to determine your eligibility for institutional aid. CSS asks for a lot more information. Each school will use the information provided by CSS according to their own policies - you do not see “EFC” like you do with FAFSA, and each school may come up with a totally different figure that they think you can contribute (because of differences in how they treat things like real estate values, non custodial parents etc).</p>
<p>So basically you must do FAFSA for all your schools. You must do CSS only for those schools who require it. You cannot do CSS for schools who do not require it.</p>
<p>If you need financial aid virtually every college will require you to file the FAFSA. This is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid – and as the name suggests it will determine what federal aid you might be eligible for.</p>
<p>Some colleges, mostly private ones, will <em>also</em> require the CSS Profile. It is a different application with some of the same questions as the FAFSA, but also with more questions that go into more depth. It is used by colleges according to their own financial aid policies, so two different colleges may not use the information you provide and come up with similar aid packages. The CSS Profile only collects the information and distributes it to the colleges you list, and then the colleges will use it in their own financial aid formula.</p>
<p>So, while virtually all schools will expect you to file a FAFSA, some will also require the CSS Profile. Some will have additional forms of their own that are required. You really must check the financial aid webpages of the schools to which you’re applying and find out exactly what they want and the deadlines by which they want it. If you don’t get everything to them they require, or you miss deadlines, your financial aid package will not be complete and will not be processed. A lot of students make the mistake of thinking that if they don’t know about requirements or deadlines then they shouldn’t be expected to meet them. That’s a HUGE mistake. It is the student’s responsibility (hopefully with the help of parents and counselors) to make sure they find out for themselves what all is required for their financial aid applications.</p>
<p>thank you SO much swimcatsmom and 'rentof2!!</p>
<p>do we submit our FAFSA and CSS profile even before we receive our results from the admissions office?</p>
<p>YES!!! Check each school for process, forms required and deadlines ASAP…and don’t miss the deadlines!</p>
<p>You can submit the FAFSA for next school year beginning January 1, 2010. I would suggest you and your parents go online and request a PIN number ASAP so you will have it when needed. The student AND one parent need a PIN to be able to sign the FAFSA electronically.</p>
<p>The Profile is available now, but you probably want to check the deadlines for your schools. It’s easier to do both FAFSA and Profile once your 2009 taxes are completed. BUT you also want to apply as early as possible. If your taxes won’t be done early enough to meet all your school deadlines, you need to file with ACCURATE estimates of the numbers and amend later. HOWEVER…later cannot be April 15. This is the year for you and your parents to complete your taxes as soon as possible.</p>