The costs of college—between tuition and fees and room and board—have risen steadily for decades, making paying for college a more complex calculation for many students and families. But what if there were an easy way to apply for additional, non-federal aid on top of the financial aid you apply for by completing the FAFSA?
Many colleges accept a CSS profile from students, and this particular profile helps provide qualifying students with additional loans, grants, and scholarships that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to obtain.
Unfortunately, plenty of students who would most benefit from this don’t know how to complete a College Board CSS profile and what the important deadlines are. But with this CSS profile guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about what this college aid app is, how to complete it, and how to get more financial aid to help with your college journey.
What is a CSS Profile?
The CSS profile is something that various colleges and universities (around 400 of them) use in addition to the FAFSA to award aid to students. Notably, this aid comes from the institutions themselves, making it distinct from the federal aid that students can apply for by filling out the FAFSA online. The CSS profile examines family finances more thoroughly than the FAFSA in order to draw conclusions about student financial need.
Participating schools (more on this later) will have different deadlines for when you’d need to complete your own CSS profile. However, as long as you know in advance that you are applying to at least one college that requires it, we recommend going ahead and completing your own profile during your senior year of high school.
Do I need to complete the CSS Profile?
You only need to complete a CSS profile if you are applying to colleges and universities that require it. If you are not sure whether any colleges you are interested in will require a student profile, please see the links in the CSS Profile Schools section below.
How to complete the CSS Profile
We’d recommend completing the FAFSA before completing your CSS Profile.
Tip: The IRS Data Retrieval Tool can generally make the FAFSA process easier/faster by allowing you to transfer your tax information into your FAFSA form.
Steps for completing the CSS Profile
Once you’re set with the FAFSA, set aside a day—preferably sometime in October so you don’t miss any deadlines—when you have at least 2-3 hours with your parent’s undivided attention. You can do some of the steps below before you sit down with your parent/guardian to complete the CSS Profile.
Step 1:
You must visit CSSProfile.org in order to complete your own CSS profile. You may need to create a CSS login and password, but if you already have a College Board sign-in for AP tests, the PSAT, or the SAT, you can use that to log in. Once logged in, you can begin work on the application. While it is not necessary to complete the application in one go, be sure to save before you log out so that you don’t lose any of your progress.
Step 2:
Ask your parent/guardian to gather all the personal financial stuff they have available: everything from their tax forms and mortgage information to their bank accounts and investments (see next section for specific requirements).
To give your parent/guardian an idea of the level of detail the CSS Profile may ask, tell them they may be asked how much money went into their HSA account last year.
For families with simple finances (parent/s work and have a checking account and a car payment and that’s basically it), the CSS Profile isn’t actually that difficult. The more financial accounts/transactions your family handles, the trickier this form can become.
Your parent (and maybe your non-custodial parent) will have to set up an account as well.
Step 3:
Dive in, a page at a time.
This form takes a while, but you can start and stop as you need. (Again, be sure to save)
Best advice: try to answer everything you can in one sitting, even if it means putting down “0” for the answers you don’t know and circling back to them.
Just make sure you write down (tip: take organized notes) what questions you need to go back to! The easiest way to retrace your steps is to write the section the question is under followed by the number question with a brief description of what you need to track down.
Important note: NON-CUSTODIAL PARENT FORMS
If your parents are separated or divorced, you will complete the CSS Profile information using the same parent you used for the FAFSA. Many colleges will also require a “Non-custodial Parent Form” to be completed by the other parent and, if applicable, their spouse. You can check if your college needs to do this here.
If required by one of your colleges, your non-custodial parent will create their own account that links up with your account. They can complete the application separately from the time you and your custodial parent complete the form.
If you cannot obtain your non-custodial parent’s information, check out the CSS Profile Waiver Request for the Noncustodial Parent to see if you may be exempted from this requirement.
After you have submitted your profile, you can use the dashboard to review whether any additional steps are required. The most common additional step is having to provide extra paperwork to the college(s) you are applying to via the Institutional Documentation Service. (See if your colleges use IDOC by checking here under the IDOC column. If one or more of your CSS Profile colleges uses IDOC, go here and follow the instructions carefully.)
CSS Profile support
If you have difficulty at any step of the way, the website provides a number of support services. This includes a live chat function as well as both an email and a phone number that you can reach out to help resolve any issues.
CSS Profile vs FAFSA
There are some important key differences between the CSS Profile vs FAFSA:
When it comes to who is eligible to apply, the FAFSA is open to all United States citizens and some non-citizens (such as those who are permanent residents and those seeking asylum in America). Conversely, CSS is open only to United States residents and international students.
Another distinction between the FAFSA and the CSS you may have already picked up on is that there are way more institutions that require the FAFSA. All colleges that offer federal aid accept the FAFSA, but the CSS is only required by certain institutions. And both applications must be filled out each year.
In terms of aid, both the FAFSA and the CSS offer different varieties of the same thing. For example, the FAFSA provides federal aid and the CSS provides institutional aid, but the completion of each one may result in the offer of loans, scholarships, and grants. And some of the most generous colleges and universities use the CSS Profile.
Here are some ways a college’s choice to use the CSS Profile could result in you receiving more aid than you might from a FAFSA-only school:
Maybe your family has a ton of debt due to medical expenses … the CSS Profile accounts for that
Maybe your family has kids in private schools … the CSS Profile accounts for that
Maybe a tree fell on your house
Maybe your mom is going to have a baby right before you go to college
Maybe your parent lost her job and your family income is way different than the year the FAFSA asked about
There are more ways, but you get the idea.
But, here are some ways a college’s choice to use CSS Profile could result in your receiving less aid than you might from a FAFSA-only school:
Maybe your family doesn’t make much, but you own and live in a multimillion dollar home … the CSS Profile accounts for that.
Maybe you live with your mom who doesn’t make much, but your absentee dad is a bajillionaire … the CSS Profile (most of the time) accounts for that.
Maybe the parent you don’t live with isn’t a bajillionaire, but did remarry … the CSS Profile (most of the time) accounts for your non-custodial parent’s and/or step-parent’s incomes.
Maybe your family owns a small business that does well but wasn’t considered on the FAFSA
Maybe your grandparents have a college fund set aside for you
While these situations are admittedly beyond your control, they will impact what colleges assess your need to be.
Generally speaking, the FAFSA is easier to fill out than CSS because the latter requires extra paperwork. For example, the FAFSA typically required students to provide personal info as well as details on personal income, business income, and significant assets. CSS requires all of that information as well, but you may also need to provide details regarding untaxed income and medical expenses as well as bank statements.
Key differences between FAFSA and CSS Profile requirements
FAFSA and CSS Profile both require:
Student Info
Income tax return data
Educational savings accounts
Bank accounts
Parent Info
Bank accounts
Income, taxes, and exemptions (but CSS requires multiple years)
Investment real estate
Liquid investments (e.g., stocks, mutual funds)
Family business / farm info (for FAFSA, only if >100 employees)
Tax-deferred retirement contributions (e.g. 401k, IRA)
CSS Profile additionally requires*:
Trust funds
Equity in family home
Total retirement savings
Non-retirement annuities
Medical spending accounts
Siblings’ assets held in parent’s name
Siblings k-12 private school tuition
Other miscellaneous valuables (e.g., collectibles)
*Important note: not every college that uses the CSS Profile considers all of these factors.
How expensive is the CSS Profile?
Cost is different when it comes to each aid application. The FAFSA is completely free, but the CSS requires $25 for the first school and $16 for each school after that. If you are applying to multiple schools that require CSS, then the costs can add up quickly.
Fortunately, you may be able to qualify for a fee waiver if you meet certain criteria. If your family’s Adjusted Gross Income is less than $100,000, you may qualify. You may also qualify if you already received an SAT fee waiver or if you happen to be under 24 years of age and either an orphan or a ward of the court.
CSS Profile Deadline
Students can complete the CSS profile as early as October 1st for the following year. Each college has its own deadline you must adhere to, and these deadlines typically range from January 1st to March 31st. However, Early Action students and Early Decision Students must typically file as early as November 1st, effectively giving only a one month window to get everything completed and submitted.
CSS Profile Schools
As we mentioned above, there are around 400 CSS Profile schools. So rather than list all 400ish here, we’ll give you clear, easy steps:
Once you’ve developed your college list, you’ll want to see whether any of your schools require you to complete the CSS.
Action Item: Check this list of CSS Profile participating institutions and programs for each of your colleges. If they are on there, you get to fill out the CSS Profile. Important note: There are separate columns for domestic and international students.
CSS Profile Frequently Asked Questions
Even though filling out a CSS profile on the College Board website can be relatively straightforward (though likely tedious), it’s very common for students and parents alike to have questions about the process. In order to help you save time, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions as they pertain to the process. Keep reading to discover quick, easy answers to your biggest questions.
What Does CSS Stand For?
CSS stands for “College Scholarship Service.”
Is There a Maximum Number of CSS Profile Schools I Can List?
No. Unlike the FAFSA, there is not a maximum number of schools you can list on your profile. Just keep in mind that listing multiple schools on your profile means paying an extra fee per school.
What if I Decide to Add a CSS Profile School Later On?
You can always go back into your profile and add additional schools. However, it’s important to pay attention to any deadlines given by the colleges you wish to apply to. Otherwise, you run the risk of paying the fee to add a school and then not being eligible for any potential aid.
How Soon Will the College(s) of My Choice Receive the CSS Profile?
On the College Board side, the information is sent very quickly to your chosen institutions. However, there is no guarantee regarding how quickly those institutions will download the information sent to them. This is why we always recommend submitting early, and if you need to check whether your profile is received, you can use the College Board dashboard or, if your school’s information is not available, you can contact their financial aid office by phone.
If Multiple Children Are Attending College, Does Each Need to Fill Out a CSS Profile?
Yes: There is no such thing as a “family profile,” so everyone in the family that is currently attending college will need to fill out their own CSS profile in order to qualify for aid.
What Am I Supposed to Enter For the Anticipated Earnings of the Student While They Are In College?
This really is just meant to be an estimate, especially because it’s not always possible to tell where a student will work, how often they will work, and how they will get paid. As a “safety” estimate, consider putting $2500 … this is what most schools that accept a CSS Profile expect students to provide towards their overall cost of attendance for the academic year.
How Am I Supposed to Know the Value of the House?
If you or your parents own a home, you will have to estimate its value when completing the CSS Profile. The housing market is often in flux, so you can try using websites such as Zillow to get a reasonable estimate for how much the house is worth.
Begin Your Journey Today
Hopefully now you’re clear on what the CSS profile is and how to approach it.
Ultimately, your college educational experience is an ongoing journey. And by completing a CSS profile, you’re taking another giant leap into your future.
Chris Snellgrove is an English Professor at Northwest Florida State College who specializes in literature, rhetoric, and business writing. As a freelance writer, Chris specializes in sales, marketing, pop culture, and video games. He has a B.A. in English from Troy University and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Auburn University. When he’s not writing or talking to others about writing, Chris loves reading books, playing video games, watching horror movies, and disappearing into a comic book. He currently lives in Northwest Florida and would probably rather be at the beach right now.
Top values: Diversity / Equality / Social Justice
