Css Profile

CSS Profile stands for College Scholarship Service Profile. It is an application which is distributed by the College Board in the U.S to help students apply for financial aid for college. The purpose of this application is to enable the College Board's private member institutions to come to know about the financial details of a student. CSS financial aid profile is more detailed compared to the FAFSA. In this form, students are to provide their financial details as well as that of their parents. This information in then forwarded to the concerned educational institute. Students need to give a fee in order to benefit from the CSS Profile.
 

The Difference between CSS Profile and FAFSA
Although both CSS Profile and the FAFSA are financial aid applications for the students, there are some clear differences between the two. Financial aid CSS Profile is a service of the College Board that is aimed to help students apply for private financial aid programs. FAFSA, on the other hand, is an application that is meant for financial aid programs that are sponsored by the government. In other words, CSS financial aid profile is application for financial aid that is offered by a school while the FAFSA allows students to apply for federal loan programs like

Federal Stafford loans, Perkins Loans and more. CSS Profile requires a fee while the FAFSA is free of cost.
 
Eligibility
CSS Profile gives colleges the liberty to set their own criteria to calculate aid eligibility. This is why the schools are also allowed to take other factors into consideration that are not a part of the FAFSA. These may include the annual retirement plan contributions, value of parents' home and more. is offered by the College Board both online as well in paper format. Students can visit its website to fill this form. Those who are interested to know about the other details about this application can get in touch with their college's financial assistance office.

Frequently Asked Question(s)

Q:Can you give me some information about a CSS profile online?

A:A CSS profile is basically an application that allows students to apply for financial assistance through the federal government. The application collects financial information about the applicant that will determine need for aid. The application costs a certain fee and is also available online. It is similar to a FAFSA application.

Q:What is the difference between css profile and FAFSA form and what is the css profile deadline for 2012?

A:CSS Profile and the FAFSA are both application forms for financial assistance form different sources. If you are asking for financial assistance from the school you have applied to, then you will need to complete your css profile. On the other hand if you are asking for financial assistance from the federal government, you will have to fill in your FAFSA form. Another difference is that to complete your css profile you have to pay a fee, while FAFSA forms are free of cost. If you are applying for financial aid for the 2012-2013 academic sessions, the css profile will be made available online from October 1st onwards.

Q:How can I avoid css profile fraud?

A:You should never pay a fee to file the free application for federal student aid (fafsa), or to have someone fill out the FAFSA for you. You should only submit a profile if your college or scholarship program instructs you to do so. The College Board collects a fee to process the CSS/financial aid profile.

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