Financial Aid for Twins/Multiple Children for CSS Profile Schools

[Anonymous]

can anyone here tell me how to link both twins to a parent account on CSS? we are divorced and I have only been able to link one.
I also need to amend css but that seems impossible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paying for two or three children in college simultaneously impacts how much a family can pay. I am confused as to why this important data point is no longer considered in FAFSA? (Obviously I am new at all of this!)

Yep. But for some reason, Sen Lamar Alexander made this change before he retired. Why he felt so strongly and did what he could to make this change, IDK. But that’s where the blame goes.

He really hurt the middle class, what would be the reason? Did they use the money for other purpose?

[Anonymous]

The previous sibling discount wasn't actually fair. No one should be subsidizing you ability or inability to have multiple kids in a short period of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have two and the third one will start fall anxiously waiting. Last year we were only able to get loan $5500.00.

Same situation, last year we were able to get only the loan the third rising senior waiting as well.

[Anonymous]

If you can afford to full pay at an expensive private, why should you get aid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The previous sibling discount wasn't actually fair. No one should be subsidizing you ability or inability to have multiple kids in a short period of time.

Not fair at all to those who choose to have less kids to be financially responsible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous sibling discount wasn't actually fair. No one should be subsidizing you ability or inability to have multiple kids in a short period of time.

Not fair at all to those who choose to have less kids to be financially responsible.

And having multiples is a choice? Interesting. Sometimes sure if you’re getting fertility help but I had mine without such help, just family history back a generation. not sure how that was my choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous sibling discount wasn't actually fair. No one should be subsidizing you ability or inability to have multiple kids in a short period of time.

Not fair at all to those who choose to have less kids to be financially responsible.

It is more of the rule change without enough notice when they take it off. Do you think it is fair to subsidize low income families? Middle class is also same just a little better.

[Anonymous]

The previous system wasn't a "subsidy" it was thinking logically about what the EFC was meant to represent. The EFC (Expected Family Contribution) was designed to represent/calculate how much a family could reasonably be expected to pay for college THAT YEAR.

So, imagining a family's EFC was $50k...that meant that, based upon income/assets/etc, a family would be "expected" to pay $50k. Hence, if you had 2 in college, and schools met full need/used this rationale/etc, they'd each expect ~$25k ($25k x 2 = $50k, what the family could afford to pay that year). The family is still paying what they are calculated to be able to pay, just spread over (in this scenario) two institutions.

The new SAI (Student Aid Index), which has replaced the EFC, is structured with an entirely different framework. It is NOT what a student/family is "expected to pay," it is how much federal aid a student needs. It is likely that CSS Profile schools will still account for multiple students in college (/cost) in their calculations.

Consider this extreme example to illustrate why/how:

Imagine a low income family had a $10k EFC under the "old" system. They had 2 in college, paying $5k to each.

Now imagine these students/family under the "new" system. It's not as though financial aid offices think/expect that this family suddenly has twice as much money to be able to afford $20k a year. The financial aid formulas are seeking to identify how much need a student/family has. I expect CSS Profile schools will likely build in college expenses for siblings, much as they can/do account for things like medical expenses, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paying for two or three children in college simultaneously impacts how much a family can pay. I am confused as to why this important data point is no longer considered in FAFSA? (Obviously I am new at all of this!)

Yep. But for some reason, Sen Lamar Alexander made this change before he retired. Why he felt so strongly and did what he could to make this change, IDK. But that’s where the blame goes.

He really hurt the middle class, what would be the reason? Did they use the money for other purpose?

Real middle class get finical aid. DCUM pretend MS are not MC and therefore no aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous sibling discount wasn't actually fair. No one should be subsidizing you ability or inability to have multiple kids in a short period of time.

Not fair at all to those who choose to have less kids to be financially responsible.

And having multiples is a choice? Interesting. Sometimes sure if you’re getting fertility help but I had mine without such help, just family history back a generation. not sure how that was my choice?

You choose to have kids and knew this could happen. You had since birth to save. Maybe you should have bought a cheaper house, but now you can sell it for college or saved in other ways like the rest of us do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous sibling discount wasn't actually fair. No one should be subsidizing you ability or inability to have multiple kids in a short period of time.

Not fair at all to those who choose to have less kids to be financially responsible.

And having multiples is a choice? Interesting. Sometimes sure if you’re getting fertility help but I had mine without such help, just family history back a generation. not sure how that was my choice?

The federal government shouldn't subsidize the fact you choose to have 2 kids in college and have known this fact for 18 years.

So catholic family of 12 pays substantially less per child than family with 1 kid in college making the same amount of money. Full stop, no. Each family gets 10K that's fair. They choose what they will do with that 10K over 1 or 10 kids.

[Anonymous]

OP, as some others mentioned, the best answer you'll get at the moment may be the Net Price Calculators (NPCs) for the colleges. Each college has its own. It's possible that many NPCs may not have been updated since the FAFSA change, so I'd be using the NPCs now and then do them again later. It's simple to do them anonymously, etc. I'd check in the summer and again in the fall, to see if they remain the same. Use the NPCs for a wide variety of colleges, such as your in-state universities and whatever various types of privates might be of interest down the road.