After putting tireless hours into your college essays over the long summer months (or fall months), you finally hit submit on your USC application! You pat yourself on the back and lean back in your chair. Time to enjoy the rest of your senior year.
But WAIT… there’s more! What about financial aid? Now, if you’re reading this, I’m sure you’re familiar with the term “financial aid.” I’m not even going to bore you talking about the FAFSA, CSS Profile, or California Dream Act. (If those terms/acronyms look unfamiliar to you, check out USC Financial Aid Glossary.) Most schools have their own financial aid portal separate from their applicant portal. This is your guide to the resources and financial aid process at USC.
One quick reminder! The FAFSA has not been released yet and is scheduled to come out by Dec 31. Make sure to give yourself extra time to complete it as it’ll be new for everyone, not just students.
Our financial aid portal is called FAST: Financial Aid Summary and Tasks. It is your one-stop shop for all things financial aid at USC. You’ll get access to it after you submit your USC application and will find a link to FAST through your main applicant portal.
Before you receive your financial aid package, our Financial Aid Office will ask for some additional financial documents to get a clearer understanding of your family’s finances—beyond what the CSS Profile and FAFSA provide. This can take a lot of different shapes: from requesting your parents’ full tax return, to rental property documentation, to written statements. If you receive a request, you’ll get an email letting you know that you have a request on your FAST portal.
All requested documents can be found in the ‘Required Info and Forms’ section of your FAST portal. One of the tabs next to ‘Required Info and Forms’ is the ‘Document Library’ that contains a variety of documents. Many of these forms may not be specific to your situation, but it is still useful to know where to go when our Financial Aid Office references it! Anything that you need to submit to the Financial Aid Office can be done through the FAST portal.
All simple right?
So, let’s talk about a couple of common questions we get because, yes, even our beautiful FAST portal can be confusing. If the next two paragraphs don’t apply to you, feel free to skim forward and not read every single word of this blog… like I know you have been up to this point.
By now, most of you know that there are big changes happening with the FAFSA–which is why the application will be delayed. In addition, schools will not start to receive FAFSA reports from the Department of Education until February. Don’t fret! Just ensure that you submit it by the deadline; however, if in February you do not see that it has been received,then maybe one of the below common fixes may be appropriate.
Here is the most common issue: you access the FAST portal and it says nothing has been received although you’ve already completed the FAFSA and/or CSS Profile. The most common cause of a “missing” FAFSA/CSS Profile is that we are missing your Social Security Number. In order to get this on file, you can send a Student Social Security Number Information form, which is located in the ‘Document Library.’ After submission, your FAFSA/CSS should show as received in a week. Please actively protect yourself and your personal information by never sending your Social Security Number via email.
Another main question we get concerns the Noncustodial CSS Profile. If your parents are divorced or separated, in financial aid terms one is “custodial” and one is “noncustodial.”. Basically, the parent you live with the most is your custodial and the other is noncustodial. We ask for a CSS Profile from both your parents. If you have no contact with your noncustodial parent, you can complete a waiver so that you don’t need to submit one. Our waiver is called the Noncustodial Parent Waiver / Appeal Form and is located in the “Document Library” section of FAST. We don’t review waiver forms until after students receive admission decisions, so your FAST portal will still show the Noncustodial Parent CSS Profile as “Required” until the waiver is approved.
We also know that for undocumented students, applying for financial aid can be extra confusing. At USC, all you need to do is complete the CSS Profile, submit your 2022 Tax Returns, and send us a Third Party Letter confirming your undocumented status. If you live in California, you should also complete the CSAC Dream Act.
Finally, let’s talk general financial aid resources! The Financial Aid Office has a great website and is available through phone and email. If you want to get an idea of what your financial aid package may look like, check out our Net Price Calculator. The Net Price Calculator will estimate your costs for undergraduate tuition and expenses, as well as your potential eligibility for need-based financial aid based on individual circ*mstances. Please be aware that these are estimates only and are not a guarantee of the financial aid you may actually receive. All this may seem complicated or overwhelming, so don’t worry if you need to reach out for help!
Written by:Alex Castro, Assistant Director - Office of Admission
