.svg){kind=icon}
- Research Colleges & Universities
How are we doing?
👍
👎
CSS Profile</a> is an online nonfederal student financial aid application designed by <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"http://www.collegeboard.com">College Board</a>. It’s used by nearly 400 colleges, universities, and scholarship programs to determine whether you qualify for non-federal need-based scholarships and grants.</p>
<p>When looking at CSS Profile vs FAFSA, you’ll notice a few differences:</p>
<p>The <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/filing-the-fafsa-everything-you-need-to-know">FAFSA qualifies U.S. students for federal financial aid like Pell Grants, <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/what-is-work-study-and-how-does-it-work">work-study, and <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/what-are-student-loans-private-vs-federal">unsubsidized student loans</a>. It’s free to apply. Most colleges also use the FAFSA data to determine if you qualify for institutional aid like need-based grants and <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/where-to-find-college-scholarships-for-high-school-students">scholarships. The rest rely on the information found in your CSS profile.</p>
<p>CSS Profile qualifies domestic and international students for institutional aid like grants and scholarships. The Profile gives the school a more complete picture of your family’s financial status because it takes medical bills, school costs of siblings, and other financial hardships into account.</p>
<h2>What Schools Require CSS Profile?</h2>
<p>Just under 250 colleges and universities require CSS Profile for their domestic and/or international students. The list of colleges that require CSS Profile includes seven of the eight Ivy League schools with <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/college/princeton-university">Princeton University</a> being the odd-one out.</p>
<p>View the complete list of participating institutions and programs <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx">here.
<h2>Do I Need to Fill Out the CSS Profile?</h2>
<p>Check College Board’s list of schools that require CSS Profile to see if you need to fill out an application. If your schools aren’t on the list, there is no reason to apply. If your any of your colleges are on the list, you should apply. Doing so gives you your best shot at <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/how-to-avoid-student-loans-and-graduate-without-debt">avoiding student loans and graduating without debt</a>.</p>
<p><img src=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/asset.plexuss.com/news/images/how-do-i-apply-for-css-profile.jpg" alt="How Do I Apply for CSS Profile"width="400" height="250"/></p>
<h2>How Do I Apply for CSS Profile?</h2>
<p>Get started by logging into the <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"http://cssprofile.org/">CSS Profile website</a> using your College Board account. This is the login you made to register for the SAT or to view <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/what-is-the-psat">PSAT, SAT, and/or AP scores.</p>
<p>Get the necessary financial documents together and answer the questions truthfully. The application saves as you go, so you don’t need to finish it all at once. You can return to work on it as many times as needed. </p>
<p>Select the college(s) you want to send the CSS Profile to, pay, and then submit the application online.</p>
<h3>What Documents Do I Need to Apply for CSS?</h3>
<p>When you fill out a CSS Profile application, you’ll need financial information found on yours and your parents’:</p>
<ul>
<li>Tax returns from the two most recent tax years</li>
<li>W-2 forms and other records of current year income</li>
<li>Records of untaxed income and benefits for the current and previous tax years</li>
<li>Current bank statements</li>
<li>Records of savings, stocks, bonds, trusts, etc.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How Much Does CSS Profile Cost?</h3>
<p>Filing a CSS Profile costs $25 for the initial application for one school. Each additional school costs $16. Some colleges provide students with a Fee Payment code that covers the cost of sending the profile to that school. If you received one, be sure to use that code at payment.</p>
<p>Some students may qualify for a CSS Profile fee waiver from College Board. After finishing your application and before paying, you will learn if you are eligible for a fee waiver. Students who qualify are those:</p>
<ul>
<li>Who were/are eligible for an SAT fee waiver</li>
<li>Whose parents’ income reported on the CSS profile is $45,000 or less</li>
<li>Who are orphans or wards of the court under the age of 24</li>
</ul>
<h3>What Happens After I Apply?</h3>
<p>After sending in your application, you can check its status on the CSS Profile Dashboard. The dashboard displays application status, payment info, college deadlines, and messages. If you decide that you want to send CSS Profile to another college, you can also do that from the dashboard.</p>
<p>In some cases, a college might request more information from you through the CSS Profile Dashboard. Respond as promptly as possible. Sometimes colleges need additional questions answered or need copies of your financial documents.</p>
<h3>When is the CSS Profile Due?</h3>
<p><a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/early-action-vs-early-decision">Early decision and early action</a> admission students must apply by November 15 of the year before they’re attending college. For most students, that’s November 15 of their senior year of high school. Students applying for regular admission must apply by February 1 of that year.</p>
<p>Schools can set their own FAFSA and CSS Profile deadlines. Check deadline dates with the college’s financial aid office.</p>
<p>The earliest you can apply is October 1. Apply early for your best chances at financial aid that’s awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.</p>
<h3>How Do I Fill Out a CSS Profile if My Parents are Divorced or Separated?</h3>
<p>Use your custodial parent’s (the parent you lived with the most during the past year) information when filling out the CSS Profile application. Some colleges might also request information from your noncustodial parent (the parent you did not live with most of the time during the past year). In that case, your noncustodial parent will need to create their own College Board account and file a separate CSS Profile application.</p>"/>
