The CSS Profile, and who asks for it

The CSS Profile is an aid application run by the College Board. A few hundred colleges and scholarship programs use it, mostly private ones, to award their own grants.

How it differs from the FAFSA

The FAFSA is for federal and most state aid. The CSS Profile is for a college’s institutional money, and it asks more: about home equity, small businesses, and sometimes a parent who lives apart from you. It does not replace the FAFSA; schools that use it want both.

What to do

• Check each college’s aid page for the CSS Profile
• File the FAFSA as well
• Look at fee waivers before you pay

Cost and fee waivers

Unlike the FAFSA, the CSS Profile charges a fee for each college you send it to. Fee waivers are available based on income and are applied automatically for many students. The College Board site explains how they work.

If none of your colleges ask for the CSS Profile, you can skip it.

Knowing if you need it

Check the financial aid page of each college on your list, or the College Board’s list of participating schools. If none of your colleges require it, you do not need to file it.