"The Experience"



An Overview: The PROFILE

Author: petersons, Category: College Scholarships & Financial Aid, Getting Started for College

When determining a student’s financial aid eligibility, each college makes its own determination about using only the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the U.S. Department of Education or both the FAFSA and the PROFILE. The PROFILE, which is from the College Board, is used to award private grant and scholarship aid. Like the FAFSA, applications for the PROFILE are available in your high school guidance office and on the Web. The paper application and the Web site both list which colleges and programs require the PROFILE application.

If a college requires the PROFILE
You can register by calling the College Scholarship Service at 800-778-6888 and providing basic demographic information, a list of colleges to which you are applying, and your credit card number to pay for the service. If you prefer, you can apply online.

Registration packets with a list of the colleges that require the PROFILE are available in most high school guidance offices. There is a fee for the use of this application and you’ll be asked to pay by credit card when you register. The current cost for this service is $25 for the first college and $16 for each additional college. If you don’t have a credit card, you’ll be billed later.

After you register
You’ll receive a customized financial aid application for your use in applying for institutional aid at the colleges you’ve designated, as well as some private scholarship programs, like the National Merit Scholarship. (Note: If you’re using the paper form and a college’s financial aid application deadline is approaching, you can get overnight delivery by paying an extra fee.) The PROFILE contains all the necessary information to calculate your “institutional” EFC. (This is the Expected Family Contribution calculated by a particular institution, rather than the FAFSA EFC calculated by the government.)

Completing the form
Your individualized packet will also contain a customized cover letter instructing you about what to do and informing you about deadlines and requirements for the colleges and programs you specified when you registered. These instructions may include codes indicating which colleges have additional questions, and any supplemental forms they require (such as the Business/Farm Supplement, for students whose parents own a business or farm, or the Noncustodial Parent’s Supplement, for students whose parents are divorced).

Make sure you submit your PROFILE by the earliest deadline listed. After you do so, you will receive an acknowledgment and a report estimating your “institutional” EFC based on the data elements you provided on your PROFILE. Remember, this is a different formula than that used on the FAFSA.

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