How does CSS Profile work in real life once you actually start filling it out? I keep searching how does CSS Profile work and I get super official explanations, but I still feel lost.
I get that FAFSA is for federal aid, but CSS Profile seems way more detailed and asks about home equity, parent income, assets, and a bunch of stuff I did not expect. What I cannot figure out is:
- why some colleges want CSS Profile and others do not
- whether it only affects need-based institutional aid
- if each college calculates your aid differently from the same form
- what happens if your family situation changed recently and the numbers from last year do not really show it
I am also nervous about making a small mistake and having it ruin my aid package. If anyone has already done it, what parts were the most confusing for you? Did you need extra documents after submitting?
Basically I need the normal-person version of how the CSS Profile works, because right now it feels like every answer just creates 3 new questions.