Financial Aid
Two financial aid forms are widely used by college financial aid offices:
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) was available as of October 1st the fall before entering college; most colleges use it to determine federal and state aid eligibility.
The CSS Profile (a service from CollegeBoard) is available from October of senior year; and certain colleges use this form to determine eligibility for non-government financial aid. The CSS Profile is required at certain institutions as a supplement to FAFSA.
FAFSA:
***The 2024-25 FAFSA will be delayed for the entire country and will NOT be available until sometime in December 2023. All students with the assistance from their families are encouraged to complete the form as soon as possible once available to do so to ensure that they don't miss any college or state aid deadlines for financial aid**
Please be aware that FAFSA filing deadlines vary by state and institution. The New Jersey deadline listed on the FAFSA is June 1, 2022 for Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) recipients, and November 15, 2022 for all other applicants. However, you are strongly encouraged to observe earlier financial aid application deadlines of the colleges you are applying to. Financial aid, especially institutional aid, is often given on a first come, first served basis. For these reasons, it is optimal to submit the FAFSA to all colleges as soon as possible. Completing and submitting a FAFSA is free.
NJ FAFSA Days: Experts available to answer questions or assist in filling out the FAFSA for free
CSS Profile:
Please be aware that Profile filing deadlines vary by state and institution. The application is available online, beginning in October. To determine if a college requires the Profile, review the list of institutions requesting it. If a college appears on the list, then you should submit the form as required, in addition to FAFSA. The Profile is available through the CollegeBoard, and there is a fee to submit it.
CSS Profile: Participating Institutions
College CSS Profile: Khan Academy Video
Calculators:
Podcasts:
Overall Resources:
New Jersey Grants: Grant information and deadlines