Why do you have to pay for the css profile?

<p>My parents and I are in a bit of a limbo because we are filling all of this stuff out kinda late and most of my schools are asking to submit a css profile...
It is $16 per school and I'm not trying to spend 96 bucks for colleges I might not 1. get into the school 2. get any money from them.</p>

<p>Any advice on this very confusing process would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p>It’s really no different than the app fee you pay to colleges you might not get into and the fees charged by ACT or CollegeBoard to send test scores to colleges you might not get into. If the college requires the CSS Profile - do it. Otherwise you have just wasted the app fee. Think how awful you will feel if you do get accepted to one of these schools - but get no FA and therefore cannot attend because of a $16 fee - in the scheme of things - the $16 for the CSS Profile is small potatoes and not worth stressing about.</p>

<p>If your colleges require the CSS Profile, you need to submit it and, yes, pay to do so. The schools that use the Profile are using the information on it to determine your eligibility for THEIR institutional need based funds. If you don’t complete the Profile, you will not get any institutional funds from them.</p>

<p>Look at it this way…if you spend $96 to submit the Profile and you net significant financial aid, it’s money well spent.</p>

<p>thank you both for your help!</p>