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FAFSA & CSS Profile

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

What we will cover

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  • Discuss the two main financial aid applications
    • What is the FAFSA?
    • What is the CSS Profile?
  • A brief walk through the FAFSA
  • A brief walk through the CSS Profile

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Applying for financial aid

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Major Aid Applications

  • FAFSA ( Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
  • CSS Profile
  • TASFA (Texas Application for State Financial Aid: for undocumented students)

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

What is the FAFSA?

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  • FAFSA is the only federal student aid application
  • Overseen by the US Congress
  • Developed by the US Department of Education
  • All students should complete this form
    • Citizens and eligible non citizens

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

What is the CSS Profile?

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  • Aid application used by many schools to award institutional financial aid
  • Used by approximately 400 colleges and scholarship programs
  • Overseen by practicing financial aid officers
  • Developed by the College Board
  • Requires a fee to submit
    • $25 for application and first school report
    • $16 for each subsequent school reports

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Why CSS Profile?

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  • Collects a more complete picture of the family’s financial aid status
  • Helps the financial aid office determine who needs institutional aid and how much
  • Allows families to provide information about any special circumstances

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

TASFA

  • Texas Application for State Financial Aid
  • Only used for undocumented students
  • Reviewed for state financial aid
  • Submitted to each university/college individually and by paper/mail

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

FAFSA or CSS Profile?

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Think of FAFSA as a MUST

Think of CSS Profile as a PLUS

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Where do I access

the Applications?

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FAFSA

www.fafsa.gov

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CSS Profile

https://student.collegeboard.org/profle

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TASFA

http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/11596.PDF?CFID=68578290&CFTOKEN=83961888

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Do I have to file the CSS Profile?

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  • Check your college’s website
    • Your best resources for important information
    • Details for being a successful aid applicant
  • Check the “Participating Institutions List” on CSS Profile home page
  • Don’t forget BigFuture
    • Excellent resources
      • Application info
      • Deadlines

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FAFSA

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

  • Must apply every year
  • FSA ID:
    • Required by student and one parent
    • Used as signature
    • Required in order to use IRS data retrieval tool
  • 1040 and income info from 2017

A walk through the FAFSA

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Types of Financial Aid

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Grants

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  • Federal Pell Grants
  • Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants (FSEOG)
  • State Grants
  • Institutional Grants

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Work Study

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  • Based on demonstrated need
  • Student is provided an �on-campus job
  • 10 – 15 hours per week and �paid directly to student
  • Generally above minimum wage

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Scholarships

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  • Athletic, Academic, Leadership, Theater, Music
  • Usually Competitive
  • Institutional
  • National
  • State, Local, Civic

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Loans

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  • Direct Subsidized & Unsubsidized
  • Perkins
  • PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students)
  • Private Loans

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Assessing Student Need

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Financial Need

        • Calculated as Cost of Attendance (COA) minus any expected financial assistance such as gifts or outside scholarships, and the amount the student and their parent are expected to pay, the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

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COA-EFC = Student Financial Need

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Cost of Attendance

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    • Total amount it will cost you to go to college each year
    • Not the bill from your college
    • Includes:
      • Tuition, fees, books, supplies, transportation, room and board

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

How Much Will it Cost?

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Indirect Costs

      • Books and supplies
      • Off campus room and board
      • Personal costs
      • Travel costs

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These costs do not show up on the college bill.

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Billable Costs

      • Tuition and fees
      • On Campus Room and Board

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These costs will show up on the college bill

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

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  • Amount students and parents are asked to pay from income and assets
  • Amount students can contribute from earnings and savings
  • Factors in family size, age of oldest parent, # of children attending college
  • Special circumstances: health related expenses, loss of property or death in family

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CSS Profile

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The CSS Profile

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    • Select your year!
      • To start the application, click on “Sign In to Apply”
      • Select year (always apply for the school year you will be attending college
      • High school seniors will select Apply for Fall 2019/ Spring 2020
      • Use College Board Credentials

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

The CSS Profile

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    • SAT fee Waiver = CSS Profile fee waiver
      • If you log in with your College Board credentials
      • You used your SAT fee waiver
      • Protect your ID and Password!

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    • If you used an SAT fee waiver, you will be automatically eligible to receive a CSS Profile waiver
      • Will provide up to 8 school reports
    • However!
      • You must log in with same Username and Password
      • Parents must live in US
    • Your College Board login is used
      • Anyone with your College Board login will have access to your CSS Profile information

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Create a New Account

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    • Creating a student account

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

CSS Profile

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    • New Version of the CSS Profile
    • Better Navigation
    • Easy to read questions
    • Skip logic to customize application
    • More ways to get help

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

CSS Profile Information Required

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    • Parent Income
      • Reported by custodial parent and current spouse
    • Student Income and Assets
    • Household Information
    • Number of children in college

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Spring Branch Independent School District �ACADEMICS

CSS Profile Information Required

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More details are required on the PROFILE than on the FAFSA

    • Parent Income
      • Income information for the past 3 years
      • Untaxed SS Benefits, Earned Income Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, Foreign Income Exclusion
    • Parent Assets
      • Value and debt of primary home
      • All business and farm information
      • Any parent assets held in siblings’ names
      • Retirement value (asked for, though not often used by colleges)
    • Parent expenses
      • Medical/dental
      • Private elementary/secondary school tuition
      • Education loan repayments

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More Questions = Better Estimate of Ability to Pay

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    • Family Data
      • Ages of siblings
    • Student Data
      • Expected annual income
      • Private scholarships earned
      • Employee tuition benefits
    • Explanation of Special Circumstances

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Noncustodial Profile (NCP)

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    • For families with divorced or separated parents, never married parents, or living separately
    • Separate online application for the noncustodial parent and spouse
    • Located here: ncprofile.collegeboard.com
    • Only required by certain schools (check their financial aid office)
    • Requests same information as collected from custodial parent
    • Student can request the noncustodial parent to receive the application via email OR can send an application code to the noncustodial parent

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FAFSA and CSS Profile

Student Support Services

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Inspiring minds.

Shaping lives.

Susie Velis

College Transition Facilitator

Susana.velis@springbranchisd.com

www.springbranchisd.com