The CSS Profile is a financial aid application required by about 400 colleges and scholarship programs in addition to — or sometimes instead of — the FAFSA. It provides schools with a much more detailed picture of a family's finances.
What Is the CSS Profile?
Administered by the College Board, the CSS Profile collects detailed financial information used by many private colleges to award their own institutional (non-federal) grant money. Unlike the FAFSA, which covers federal aid eligibility, the CSS Profile is used to distribute a college's own endowment money — which at schools like Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Stanford can be extremely generous.
Which Schools Require It?
Most Ivy League schools plus many highly selective private universities (MIT, Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, etc.) and some liberal arts colleges require the CSS Profile for students seeking financial aid. Check the participating institutions list at cssprofile.collegeboard.org to confirm.
CSS Profile vs. FAFSA: Key Differences
More detailed: The CSS Profile asks about home equity, non-custodial parent finances, and investment accounts that FAFSA doesn't capture.
Non-custodial parents: Many schools using CSS Profile also require the non-custodial parent to complete a separate section — a significant issue for students with divorced or estranged parents.
Cost: The CSS Profile charges a fee ($16 for the first school, $16 per additional school). Fee waivers are available for eligible students.
When to Submit
Submit the CSS Profile as early as possible — ideally at the same time as your applications. Many schools have priority financial aid deadlines in November or February. Missing these deadlines can result in significantly less aid.