<p>Okay, I have two questions about the CSS: if I am going to be a freshman in college in the 2011/2012 school year should I be using the 2011/2010 CSS form? Also, I am not sure if I should be submitting the CSS. Under the FAFSA, it appears that my parent’s income is $24,000. I plan on attending UNC-Chapel Hill which suggests submitting the CSS, however in the past we’ve had trouble with it denying me for any possible aid because of a trust fund that my other parent has (it doesn’t allow for the money to be used for education, but is impossible to denote this).</p>
<p>thank you very much. i actually managed to speak to someone at Chapel Hill who was extremely helpful today. In fact, CSS is not required-- it is only highly recommended. Without it, you will not be considered for financial aid from the college itself.</p>
<p>If you need financial aid because the cost of attending is more than your parents can afford, you won’t get very much from Federal financial aid, which is what the FAFSA helps figure out. Many colleges have their own funding to offer their own financial aid to students, and that is where “big bucks” can come into play, from grants that make the Pell look like grocery money, to very reasonable loans with good interest rates and terms. If you need the aid, and Chapel Hill has it’s own aid to offer, you should fill out the Profile.</p>
<p>^From the OP, it sounds like the reason they don’t want to do the Profile is because of a trust fund that puts them out of reach for Institutional FA.</p>
<p>Nyyankees, if you are going to be a freshman, then why have you filed the CSS in the past? Was it for private high school? Maybe you would find that UNC would figure things differently, since every school seems to have their own formulas. I still think the worst thing that happens by filing the Profile is that you find the IM EFC is large due to that trust fund. Best thing that happens is that you find you qualify for institutional aid. If your parents have other money to help pay for college, great, but if not, you owe it to yourself to give yourself a chance, which you won’t have if you don’t file the Profile. You could always submit a letter to the financial aid office, independent of the Profile, explaining that the trust can not be used for education. (Is this really a stipulation, or is it just that your parent does not want it to be used because it is earmarked for something else. That could then be a factor…)</p>
<p>Thank you for the reply and yes, I am going to be completing the CSS. I go to a private high school and we’ve been denied in the past from financial aid because of the CSS but as you said, theres no harm in doing it. What we were originally afraid of was the risk that the CSS could disqualify us from aid from FAFSA, but after talking to the financial aid officer at UNC it was made clear that they were two independent sources of financial aid. There is also room for special information at the end of the CSS, so I am going to talk to my mom about writing something in regards to the trust fund.</p>
<p>And it is a weird stipulation-- it’s one of those things that my parents (who are divorced) don’t agree on… they both say different things, but I’d rather not get involved in it. So for now, I’m going to do whatever I can to make myself eligible for grants, loans, and any other sources of financial aid.</p>