CSS Profile Tips & Advice For 2022
Everyone talks about FAFSA but hardly anyone ever mentions CSS Profile. Both are available to students looking to receive financial aid, and there’s no need to pick one over the other. The advisors at College Funding of Tampa Bay want you to know the benefits of applying for a CSS Profile and how there’s nothing to lose!
What Is a CSS Profile?
Much like a FAFSA application, CSS Profile is a form that students can fill out to determine eligibility for federal financial aid. While the FAFSA focuses on federal financial aid, your CSS Profile is for institutional and need-based aid. Many students fill out both forms for a chance to maximize the amount of help they can receive. Most of the information that is required is similar for both forms.
What to Expect When Applying
If you’ve ever filled out a FAFSA, then the same pretty much goes for your CSS Profile. You will need to provide income and tax information for you and your family members. When it comes time to fill out the form, make sure you have the following available:
- Tax return information
- W-2 records
- Any untaxed income
- All other financial assets
The CSS profile form will ask for all this information dating two years prior to the school year that the student is applying for. This extra bit of work makes the CSS Profile a little more tedious to fill out compared to the FAFSA, but a few extra minutes is worth the possible aid that you could receive!
Mistakes to Avoid
Applying for the wrong school year. It’s easy to get ahead of ourselves and jump at the chance to get a head start on things. However, many students make the mistake of applying for the wrong school year because of this. Pay close attention to when applications become available for the year that you actually want to attend. For example, CSS Profile applications for the 2022-2023 academic year became available to fill out and turn in on October 1st, 2021.
Overlooking typos. The CSS Profile requires a lot of information, but it pays to glance over the document for a second and third look to make sure everything is accurate. A minor misspelling or a number mix-up can set you back a great deal and might even affect your chances of receiving aid.
Neglecting to follow up. Don’t let your guard down after you submit your CSS Profile! There’s a good chance that the school you applied for will want more information out of you or ask you to clear up some details. You should be checking the College Board’s Dashboard regularly to see if there are any additional updates so you can respond with haste.
Assuming you don’t qualify. Many low-income families won’t even attempt to fill out the CSS Profile because they believe that there’s no way they could qualify for additional aid. The process will only take one or two hours out of your day and there’s always a chance you’ll be approved. There’s nothing to lose, so you might as well go for it!
Filling out a CSS Profile application can seem a little overwhelming at first, but it’s really not that much different from filling out your FAFSA. If you still need help figuring out the process, give College Funding of Tampa Bay a call at 813-850-0241 and our friendly advisors will be happy to help you out!
