Do I Need to Complete the CSS Profile?
One of the most common questions we receive is if families need to complete financial aid forms. The most common college financial aid forms are the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. Today, we’ll look at whether or not you need to complete the CSS Profile.
The CSS Profile, or the College Scholarships Service Profile if you want to get official, is a form produced by the College Board. It’s used by schools that offer institutional aid beyond the aid made available through the government. These schools want to dig deeper into a family’s financial picture. Here is a list of schools that require the CSS Profile.
Do I need to complete the CSS Profile?
Now that we know what the CSS Profile is, let’s try to determine if you need to complete it. If you want to be considered for need-based financial aid, you would need to complete the financial aid forms. That means completing the CSS Profile for schools that require it.
So why would you complete the CSS Profile? In most cases, you would complete a financial aid form to be considered for need-based financial aid. As discussed above, while some schools only require the FAFSA, there are certain schools that require an additional form, such as the CSS Profile. Be aware that some schools also have school-specific forms in addition to the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Examples include the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton.
Some families don’t know if they will qualify for need-based aid. They feel they may make too much. But how much is too much? There is a lot of talk around this subject, but the best way we’ve found to get a sense of whether or not a family will qualify is to use a free calculator for the school. Generally, we point to the Net Price Calculator. It uses many of the questions found on the financial aid forms, collecting information from families to project if they will qualify for need-based aid.
Do the schools require financial aid forms for merit-based aid consideration?
It’s also good to confirm with the schools you are applying to whether or not they require financial aid forms for merit-based aid consideration. This may sound strange. Generally, financial aid forms are used to determine need-based eligibility, and merit-based aid is determined from the student’s high school resume and college application. However, some schools will also use a family’s financial information to determine scholarship eligibility. Before skipping the financial aid forms, you want to confirm whether or not you will be missing out on scholarships in addition to need-based aid consideration.
Covering all bases
As you can see, it’s not crystal clear whether or not families should complete financial aid forms. In our experience, there is no harm to completing the forms, especially as an incoming student. Of course, they do take time (or money if you work with us to help you complete the forms). But if you’d like to cover all of your bases, you can complete the forms and then ask the school that you decide on whether or not they will require the financial aid forms in future years to be considered for any financial aid that may have been offered. The school can then let you know if you will need to continue completing the forms or not.
Any questions?
If you still have questions, we are happy to help you determine if it makes sense for you to complete financial aid forms. And if you determine you need to complete the forms, we can help with the completion or the review of the forms.