First of all as an international student, a lot of aid is not available to you. The College Board’s CSS Profile is an online application for undergraduate students to apply for financial aid. I really need help! However, information from the FAFSA is used to determine a student’s eligibility for state and federal aid, whereas information from the CSS PROFILE is used to calculate eligibility for institutional funding. In comparison, the FAFSA application is completely free to complete and submit. Do you think College Board has a right to ask so many questions? Whereas the FAFSA formula is one-size-fits-all and results in an expected family contribution, or EFC, the CSS Profile is more like a survey. I've never seen it reported here on CC that a school verified the contents of a bank account or brokerage account, only taxes, so you can pretty much just lie about it, and if you are smart about the 1099 how will you get caught?
,The system relies on people's integrity. You run the risk of losing not only the aid you received (and a nice bill to repay anything that you wrongfully received) but also your admission status as a students.
,Just be HONEST and you won't need to fret about how the school verifiies this information.
,I'll declare everything just as it is, on the CSS profile, but in my country, we don't have those forms (W-2, 1099, etc). Like the FAFSA, the CSS PROFILE requests information about household income and assets. If you have any of the above things...you are REQUIRED to include them on your financial aid application forms....under ASSETS.
,It sounds like you are an international student...if that is the case chances are you will need to prove that you can afford to come to this country, pay tuition room and board and so on. The amount can vary drastically from school to school. Whereas the FAFSA formula is one-size-fits-all and results in an expected family contribution, or EFC, the CSS Profile is more like a survey. Not every college requires it, but nearly 400 colleges do, so be sure to first check the list of schools to determine whether your child needs to complete the application. You would be suprised as to who knows whom. Each college will look at your waiver request and determine if they will waive the requirement for your noncustodial parent to submit a CSS Profile application. The email needs to … After you submit your application, the College Board sends it to the colleges and scholarship programs you have chosen. Your tax return holds the clues. As a non-custodial divorced parent, does student need to file the CSS before I get an email to enter my info? This is why colleges requiring the CSS Profile say they use the “Institutional Methodology”, whereas the FAFSA operates on the “Federal Methodology.” While your FAFSA application is viewed with a set formula in mind, without much room for flexibility or reconsideration, the CSS Profile is more comprehensive - and more factors mean more complexity and a wider range of results. When my brother, who is not an international student applied to CIT many years ago, they actually had someone come and visit him and personally check out the situation since his high school was not one known to the university. This would definitely fall under an honor code violation leading to expulsion from the school.
,Frankly, this subject really annoys me. The CSS Profile will require more detailed information about the parent’s and student’s finances. [quote] In addition to the 200+ schools that require a completed CSS Profile, an additional 200 or so accept it as an optional inclusion. The FAFSA is based on a federal formula and always dictates how much government financial aid a student is eligible for. The Edstimate® is Edmit’s best estimate of the price you’ll pay for a college. Unlike the FAFSA, the formula used is proprietary, and can vary depending on the college that is using the form. Do you really think that you would be the first student from your country to apply to your school. Please check schools’ websites or contact the institution for more information. And there are countries where much of a family's income is gotten from the black market.
,Last year, a student from Greece received full aid at a school and he admitted to me in PM that his family's income is quite substantial but mostly all gotten from the black market, which according to him is pretty normal for that country (I have no idea if that's true or not). They ask this information on the CSS profile. These waivers are granted to eligible first-time college applicants from … The CSS Profile is a secondary application that roughly 200 private colleges and a handful of public universities require applicants to complete. The CSS Profile collects more detailed information about your family’s finances and considers assets that the FAFSA doesn’t, including home equity, and the value of … Although both programs are used to evaluate for need-based aid, many colleges also use the information to provide support to students that won’t qualify for need-based aid through institutional grants and stipends. Both the CSS Profile and FAFSA are essential tools that can help you earn free aid in the form of scholarships and grants that you don’t have to pay back. A guide to help noncustodial parents complete the 2019-20 CSS Profile. For example, while recording any retirement assets is a requirement to completing the CSS Profile, most financial services departments at schools don’t consider it in their final review. The Chrome dev tools used to contain a CSS Selector Profiler for doing just this sort of thing. Do I need to enter Parent 2 if we are divorced? The CSS Profile also considers special circumstances that affect your ability to pay for school. You’ll need a lot of the same documents you needed for the FAFSA to fill out the CSS Profile, including tax returns, W-2s, and and other records of income. For merit awards, need is usually not an issue.
,THere is a form for international students to complete as well as the PROFILE. :S
,DO NOT LIE to get financial aid. The CSS Profile is used by hundreds of universities to determine how much financial aid to award. If the fraud is discovered after receiving the degree, the school will rescind the degree leaving you with a worthless piece of paper.
,@notrichenough - I have read that willfully providing fraudulent information on FAFSA is a crime and punishable by fines or in the extreme, jail time. The College Scholarship Service PROFILE (CSS Profile) is an application for non-federal student financial aid that is administered by the College Board, the … Chances are you won't gain anything by not disclosing sources of income when asked on the Profile.
. Student loan products offered by "SoFi" are made by SoFi Lending Corp. (CFL# 6054612, NMLS# 1121636) and not by any covered educational institution displayed on the Edmit platform. ONE school actually asked for the tax return AND all of the materials used to compute it...W-2 forms (income), 1099 (interest and dividend statements). So the CSS Profile is likely a necessity for high school students considering applying to more selective colleges and universities. It is an online application offered by the College Board for nonfederal financial aid. The Profile asks questions about your medical history as well as your family’s, any debts incurred by you or them, where your home is located, and business expenses you may not have otherwise been able to clarify on the FAFSA (source). You can see screen shots of it in this blog post.. The CSS Profile is also substantially longer the FAFSA application and can take over two hours to complete due to the volume of factors considered, so make sure you have the time to sit down and complete it thoroughly. SoFi does not guarantee the accuracy of information provided by Edmit, its affiliates or subsidiaries. Every college or university emphasizes different categories on the CSS Profile, and the custom questions asked beyond the preliminary registration can shape your financial ai… Based on information entered on the PROFILE, a limited number of fee waivers are automatically granted. It is a very "telling" document.,What does "income tax return" include, besides the parents' wage declarations? Prior-prior year income and current asset values for both parents and the student. Pro Tip If your college requires a CSS Profile, you’ll find a link to the College Board site, but you may have to dig: Look for the link among the general financial aid forms. Is willfully providing fraudulent information on CSS\Profile also a crime?
,^ It says right on the FAFSA form "If you purposely give false or misleading information, you may be fined up to $20,000, sent to prison, or both. But there’s a fee, and it might take a little more time. Toast, if you ever decide to go to law school or do anything that requires a background check.
,How can they tell? Merit and financial aid estimates based on your student profile, Earnings estimates and financial scores for your college and major, Recommendations to save thousands on college. Most schools will ask for 3rd party documentation: certified letters from the bank and/or employers verifying the job. Visit for the complete list. Categories included on the CSS Profile that are not required on the FAFSA, Medical spending accounts (including HSAs and FSAs). Here’s a handy blog that spells out the key differences between the FAFSA and Profile. Many schools that use the Profile do so because they are interested in being more generous with those that truly need the help.
,Many schools state on the admissions application that willful misrepresentation would be grounds for having your admissions rescinded if you have not started started school or being dismissed if it is found out once you are a student.
,In addition, many schools have honor codes, that you are honest and truthful in your dealings with the college. (which I do).
,Also, this house was built by my parents and its cost was very low. The College Board’s CSS Profile™ is an online application that collects information used by almost 400 colleges, universities, professional schools, and scholarship programs to award financial aid from sources outside of the federal government. And the fact that there really aren't all that many people with second homes and huge bank accounts. Need more information before getting started with your CSS Profile application? We've got articles, videos and forum discussions that provide answers to all of your test prep, admissions and college search questions. It gathers data from students and families - and then colleges use their own calculations to determine a student’s need for private aid from that institution. Every college or university emphasizes different categories on the CSS Profile, and the custom questions asked beyond the preliminary registration can shape your financial aid package greatly. Updated July 26, 2020 The CSS Profile is an online form college students can use to apply for nonfederal financial aid. CSS selector matching is now reasonably fast for the absolute majority of common selectors that used to be slow at the time of the profiler implementation. The team behind making paying for college achievable for everyone. These are nothing but separate files that are included in the HTML head section, and they contain the style definition for the various elements of the HTML document. You can also rob a bank or break into homes, or purse snatch and get away with it. CSS Profile Tips and Tricks for Divorced Parents. The CSS Profile uses “Institutional Methodology”, which takes a more rounded look at a student’s financial situation, looking at factors such as home value, non-custodial parent income, and medical expenses. Approximately 400 colleges and universities require the CSS Profile. W3C or world wide web consortium is a well-known standard which maintains this language. I think the bigger question is what happens if you get caught in a lie? The CSS Profile is a financial aid application for non-federal aid offered by the College Board. The CSS Profile requires not only the past two years of tax filings, but also the current year estimate, unlike the FAFSA which only requires the last 2 years of returns. Stay on top of the information you need to navigate the admissions process amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The CSS Profile also has a $25 fee attached to apply, as well as an additional $16 fee for every school it is sent to, although a limited number of fee waivers are available. Helpful Tips and Resources. The CSS Profile stands for the College Scholarship Service Profile.. The amount can vary drastically from school to school. The CSS Profile is a more detailed form than the FAFSA. Like the FAFSA, it will calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), or what … You can find the list of schools that require it here. So don’t shy away from applying! Before investing a large amount of money into anyone or anything, some sort of investigation is done, but how extensive and what is done varies.
,Also keep in mind, you must apply for financial aid every year. The CSS Profile, short for the College Scholarship Service Profile, is an online application created and maintained by the United States -based College Board that allows college students to apply for non-federal financial aid. Isn't there any way that I can get away with this without lying?
,Thanks guys! The most commonly applied to … See your expected aid award from CSS Profile colleges. How is the information from the css profile verified. A small number of institutions require that an applicant wishing to be considered for merit (non-need) aid submit the FAFSA, the Profile, or both. You will also be asked to estimate your future income. Or should I search for a scholarship? 5. Income, taxes, and exemptions: the CSS Profile requests the past two years of tax filings in addition to the current year estimate. In general the CSS Profile requires more in-depth information than the FAFSA. The CSS is an online application to determine eligibility for non-federal financial aid, which is administered by the College Board, creator of the SAT ®. For example, any assets owned by your grandparents, aunts, or siblings would not be considered on the FAFSA, but those assets may be requested when completing the CSS Profile application. Family business/farm: the FAFSA only asks for information if your family business or farm exceeds 100 employees, whereas the CSS Profile requests it regardless of the size of the business. The CSS Profile considers a longer list of assets than the FAFSA when evaluating your financial need. While the CSS Profile is more daunting, it does not necessarily mean you’ll receive less financial aid. Enrollment in Edmit does not guarantee eligibility for a SoFi loan product. A covered educational institution's name or logo on the Edmit platform is not an endorsement by the covered educational institution of SoFi's student loan products. [quote] The non-custodial parent will be completing their own Profile. I'm not from th U.S.
,The U.S. federal income tax return includes quite a LOT of information. CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, were introduced by the W3C in order to reduce HTML file size, get a cleaner code and synchronize styles separately with HTML. I have assets, UTMA, mutual funds, stocks and I know they hurt my chances of receiving free money (Federal or state grants). So it all depends on the college and whether it knows someone at your school, your area, has alumni in your are. In simplest terms, the CSS Profile form is an additional requirement for many private schools when applying for financial aid.The CSS Profile administered by the College Board is required by about 400 colleges and universities to determine aid eligibility for non-government financial aid. Both the FAFSA and CSS Profile are submitted online. It is used to award non-federal financial aid.
,Again, I can see why few schools give aid to int'ls. The CSS Profile will also adjust and customize certain questions based on responses you have given in your preliminary registration, giving you the ability to tailor your responses and provide additional information. :D
,In general, do the colleges help students from outside of the US pay their transportation to the U.S? (I'm talking about colleges which claim to give full-need, need-blind, need-based aid).
,One question, I'm an International and over here we don't really file taxes (the government doesnt check and we are used to lying to the gov). While most high school students thinking about financial aid have heard of the FAFSA, fewer have heard of the CSS Profile application, found here or on individual college websites.
,Just an FYI...if you are thinking about withholding information because you think it will net you more aid...don't do it. Not to say that people don't get away with the fraud. So an admissions officer who sees a CSS PROFILE form on which the student lists that parents are only expecting to contribute $5,000 annually and whose income, asset and application data lead them to a net cost of around $50,000 annually, might conclude that such a drastically need-gapped student would likely not accept admission. I've only prepared my parents' wage statements. CSS Profile: An Overview . Below is the information that the CSS Profile collects for universities, in addition to all the same information that the FAFSA collects. The Profile gives a complete picture of your finances to those reviewing your application. Although only about 200 colleges require the CSS Profile to be completed in addition to the FAFSA, the majority of those school are among the most selective. Pick the long-term, financially successful college. The CSS PROFILE and the FAFSA are both tools used to determine a family’s financial strength. The purpose behind introducing this language would be to present the different aspects and content of web page in presentable and sequence order. A CSS Profile Waiver Request for the Noncustodial Parent (.pdf/187KB) is available to provide to colleges. If you are selected, and if the school does give aid to international students, it usually has some way to do some sort of check as to what your family assets and income are. Be prepared to present information about your spending habits, when you bought your cars and your expectations for next year. That way I won't have to claim them on the FAFSA because they are no longer assets. Some of the key differences between the FAFSA and CSS Profile: how they treat home equity, divorced parents, and retirement savings. Terms and conditions apply, and are subject to change. The CSS Profile helps colleges to determine your financial need and award you with a financial aid package that can make college both affordable and accessible. Take some time before starting to gather needed documents like 2 years of tax returns (from the two years prior), W-2 forms and records of income, records of untaxed income, bank statements, and records of savings, stocks, bonds, trusts, etc. People change na… The CSS Profile is considered differently by every institution that reviews it, and different aspects may be weighted according to the individual policies of that college. We are here to help. Thread CSS Profile Verification Author Date within 1 day 3 days 1 week 2 weeks 1 month 2 months 6 months 1 year of Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04 The Flexibility. It is a single profile used by nearly 400 colleges, universities, professional schools and scholarship programs. Like the FAFSA, you can apply online. This means the dishonest and deceptive get a larger share of federal and privately donated funds. application for institutional aid you fill out via the College Board
What I'm saying is how can colleges be sure that we don't have a huge amount of money in the bank and we didn't talked about it, or a second/third undeclared home?
,Must still send in your taxes and any other documentation the the school requires as verification (unless you are also lying to the IRS). But when a school requires the CSS Profile, the additional information is used to determine whether a student is eligible to receive private aid dollars from that university. In addition to income/taxes from jobs, it also includes interest reported for any bank accounts and/or investments (and if you have substantial ones, this WILL show up on your tax return)...things like mortgage interest deductions and taxes paid on real estate, etc.
,And just for the record...our kids attended Profile schools. What is mostly available are the schools own funds and merit awards if you have sterling high stats that a school wants. I'm doing everything possible to lower my EFC. The CSS Profile is used by almost 300 colleges, universities, professional schools, scholarship programs, and scholarships. The basics of the CSS PROFILE. Tell the truth.
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