FAFSA and the CSS Profile – Student-athletes may be missing out on Free money

The FASFA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. A university or college uses the FASFA and federal methodology to determine what you would qualify for in terms of federal aid and grants.

The CSS Profile stands for the College Scholarship Service Profile. The College Board provides this. Colleges and universities utilize the CSS Profile institutional methodology to determine institutional aid. And usually, those are institutional grants and scholarships only specific to that university or college. Colleges use one or both applications together to create packages for student-athletes and students applying to the school.

Several families often leave money on the table, especially families with student-athletes simply because they do not take the time to complete both forms.

Headcount sports vs Equivalency sports = Full scholarship vs Partial Scholarship

Headcount Scholarship Sports = Full Athletic Scholarship
Football: D-I FBS Only. Basketball: D-I Men’s and Women’s. Tennis: D-I Women Only. Gymnastics: D-I Women Only. Volleyball: D-I Women Only.

Equivalency Scholarship Sports = Partial Athletic Scholarship
All D-I sports not listed above. All NCAA D-II sports. All NAIA sports. All Junior Colleges.
Note: NCAA D-III does not offer athletic scholarships but does offer other forms of financial aid.

The difference between Head Count Scholarship sports and Equivalency Scholarship sports can best be understood as sports that are guaranteed full-ride scholarships (Head Count) versus sports that divide the scholarships as partial scholarships (Equivalency). Families must understand the type of scholarships offered for their sport.

Student-athletes who participate in sports that offer full Athletic Grants-In-Aid or sports where financial assistance is put together by packages may be missing out on free money simply because they still need to fill out the forms mentioned above.

So again, the FAFSA is utilizing a federal methodology. Universities and colleges use the FAFSA to qualify for demonstrated need via federal grants.

The CSS profile is when colleges and universities utilize institutional methodology. Information from the CSS Profile determines how student-athletes can qualify for endowed scholarships and grants from within the university.

Have a good season!