I’d like to know why schools that state they are need blind need the CSS right away.
Worst offender (in my mind) is Stanford. They only take like 5% of applicants (and charge a lot of them $90 for applying) and require they spend another $16-$25 to send the CSS; 95% of the CSS’ they get won’t be needed.
Stanford turns down over 40,000 students a year - ignoring waivers and assuming all of the students are applying to other schools that require CSS (so all are paying 16 not 25) that’s $16*40K= $640,000/year going to college board.
Seems like Stanford could either cut the kids that have no chance first & then ask for the CSS or develop their own Fin Aid system for prospective/current students. Development costs money but they could charge well under $16-25 a head and make it back and sophomores+ could use the system for free.
But all the money going to College Board (and I really resent all the money I pay to college board) doesn’t come from Stanford - so I guess they don’t care as long as they have all the paperwork in long before they will need it.