By Natalie Yahr, Wisconsin Watch and Becky Jacobs, Cap Times:
Starting this fall, UW-Madison will require applicants to fill out the CSS Profile, an online application used by around 270 colleges, universities and scholarship programs to award institutional aid, separate from a different form used to apply for federal financial aid. Students can start working on their CSS Profile Oct. 1.
Many colleges that use the CSS Profile are private. Others are highly selective public universities, such as the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia. In Wisconsin, two private schools also use the application: Beloit College and Lawrence University.
UW-Madison says requiring the application will help direct funds to students who are most in need, but some student advocates worry the extra step could hinder the very students the university aims to help.
Wisconsin Watch and the Cap Times teamed up to find out what students and their families need to know about this new requirement.
Who needs to complete the CSS Profile?
Only incoming undergraduate students at UW-Madison who are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens must complete the CSS Profile to be considered for institutional financial aid. This group includes both new freshmen and transfer students.