As college costs (particularly at private colleges and universities) escalate, many families may wish to explore the possibility of receiving financial aid. Financial aid generally comes "packaged" with grants (which you do not pay back), work-study aid (student usually receives an on-campus job to help defray expenses), and loans (which are usually low interest and need to be paid back.) Colleges determine how much aid to award through the use of formulas applied to the data you give on the FEDERAL APPLICATION FOR STUDENT AID (the FAFSA) and/or the PROFILE form published by the College Scholarship Service (CSS). The FAFSA form is an analysis instrument which allows colleges to determine how much a family can afford to contribute toward the student's first year of tuition. Student eligibility for federal (and most state) grants, loans, and work-study programs is determined by the use of this form. Most public universities use the FAFSA alone to assess student need, while private colleges may require the Profile form as well, and copies of tax returns.