1. TuitionCoach guide to the FAFSA 
This is the first form you should fill out. Our guide is 12 pages long, and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. We recommend that you print this document out. Before you start, make sure you have access to your tax returns for the previous year, most recent W-2 forms (probably from last year), most recent bank statements, and records of your investments.
2. TuitionCoach guide to the CSS PROFILE
Approximately 20% of private colleges require the CSS PROFILE (view list). Ideally, the PROFILE should be filled out after the simpler FAFSA form. However, if you are required to file the PROFILE before you are able to file the FAFSA, be sure to save a copy of your PROFILE worksheet so you can provide similar answers to the same questions. Colleges understandably find two wildly divergent answers to the same question unsettling. This guide is 28 pages long, and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
3. Additional Guidance 
As you complete the financial aid worksheets, you can further optimize your FAFSA and CSS PROFILE answers using TuitionCoach subscription services. As a subscriber, you can learn about smart asset management and other advanced techniques. You can do a sensitivity analysis for the financial aid questions (for example, how will changes in your income and assets affect your expected family contribution?). Additionally, subscribers receive tools to determine the best funding options, how to evaluate and negotiate financial aid offers from colleges, and more. If you're looking for more basic advice about financial aid, including a college cost calculator, a glossary, and frequently asked questions, you can sign up for our free member account. Sign up here!
CSS, CSS/PROFILE, and CSS/FINANCIAL AID PROFILE are trademarks or registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board (“College Board.”) The CSS/FINANCIAL AID PROFILE application and associated material are also protected by the College Board’s copyrights. These materials are merely used or referenced herein for informational and illustrative purposes. The College Company is not a member of, or affiliated with, the College Board, and no sponsorship, endorsement, or certification of The College Company, our products or services, should be inferred from the informational use of, or reference to, the College Board’s protected intellectual property, standards, or guidelines.
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