Will CSS profile be required to receive federal aid?

Paying for College FAFSA & CSS Profile
1

I’m submitting FAFSA to be eligible for federal student loans, but as far as I can tell the loans are available through the financial aid package of each school. I am also not going to receive any need-based aid.

For schools that require the CSS profile as well (ex: Harvard), would I still be able to receive federal student loans if I do not complete and submit the CSS, as both FAFSA and CSS are required to obtain a financial aid package?

2

Yes. Only FAFSA is needed to access the direct student loans (first year $5.5K)

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3

Thank you so much! Are these sent through the fin aid packages of each school?

4

Yes, FA packages will show the loan (as long as you filed FAFSA) and what portion is subsidized (if you have need) vs. unsubsidized, but you will have to do the paperwork to secure the loan.

See this page for more info, including the Steps to Accept a Loan in the middle of the page.
https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized

5

If a school requires both FAFSA and CSS, you may not receive a financial aid package if you don’t submit CSS. This is because you will not have completed your school’s financial aid requirements, which are bad on completion of both FAFSA and CSS. However, you will still be eligible for federal loans as long as you submit FAFSA and complete anything you may be required to complete related to receiving federal aid. I would suggest contacting each school to ask how to proceed so that you can be sure to be set for requesting the federal loans.

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6

Thank you everyone for the responses!

7

Great question! You will still be eligible for federal student loans as long as you submit the FAFSA. The CSS Profile is only required for institutional aid (grants or scholarships from the school), not federal aid. So, even if you choose not to submit the CSS Profile, you’ll still be able to receive federal loans. However, some schools may package federal loans along with their institutional aid, so you may need to reach out to the financial aid office at each college to confirm how they handle that.

We also offer presentations on loans in the summer. You can check them out here: College Confidential Monthly Fin Aid & Scholarship Webinar Series.

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