Many parents  have heard of the FAFSA form, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid available at www.fafsa.ed.gov that all families need to file in order to be eligible for federal and institutional financial aid (including the free money like scholarships and grants, and the self-help money like federal student loans and work-study).  But you might not have heard of the CSS Profile, an additional financial aid form required by over 400 colleges and universities nationwide.

If your student is applying to any private colleges (Saint Anselm and Dartmouth are the only two in NH that require this form), click here to see a list of schools that will require this form (you can always check  the college’s financial aid website to determine if your student needs this form).   The CSS Profile does not take the FAFSA’s place, but instead it’s a form that supplements the information found on the FAFSA.  If your student has chosen to apply Early Action or Early Decision at any of his/her colleges, this CSS Profile form could have an early deadline, such as November or December.  If the college does require this form, be sure to adhere to the deadline for whichever type of admission your student chose to ensure eligibility for the maximum amount of financial aid possible.

The CSS Profile – about 300 questions - is much more comprehensive than the FAFSA form and is not free to file (it costs $25 for the first college and $16 for each additional college).  While the FAFSA is an income-driven form, the CSS Profile is much more of an asset-driven form.  For the 2012-2013 academic year, this form will ask tax questions about years 2010, 2011 and requests that you project what may happen in 2012.  It will ask for information about your retirement funds, equity in your primary and secondary homes if you own and differentiate between the different types of investment accounts that you have.  But, unlike the FAFSA, this form is also interested in your debt and your extra expenses, such as out-of-pocket medical expenses, student loan payments, mortgage or rent payments, private school costs, amount you may be paying for an older child to attend college, etc.  Why is all this information requested (and required)?  The goal of the CSS Profile form is to provide a more complete  financial picture of your family and will be utilized by the colleges requesting it to distribute their institution’s financial aid.

Our CCP team can help answer your CSS Profile questions.  Please call us at  888.7.GRADUATE ext. 119 or e-mail us at collegeplanning@nhheaf.org if we can be of help!

Best of luck,
Val