The CSS Profile
A second aid form that many private colleges use, and why you might need to file it.
You may think the FAFSA is the only form you need for college aid. For many students, it is. But some colleges ask for a second form too. It is called the CSS Profile. If your school uses it and you skip it, you could leave a lot of money on the table.
This page explains what the CSS Profile is, how it is different from the FAFSA, and who needs to fill it out. The goal is simple. Make sure you do not miss out on aid your family could get.
What is the CSS Profile?
The CSS Profile is an aid form run by the College Board. That is the same group behind the SAT test. Colleges use it to decide how to hand out their own money, called institutional aid. This is aid that comes straight from the school, not from the government.
The FAFSA decides your federal aid, like the Pell Grant and federal loans. The CSS Profile decides a school's own grants and scholarships. They are two different forms with two different jobs. Some schools want both.
Who uses the CSS Profile?
More than 200 colleges use the CSS Profile. Most of them are private schools. Many are well-known schools with large amounts of their own aid to give out. If you are applying to private colleges, there is a good chance at least one of them wants the CSS Profile.
Not every school uses it. Many public colleges and state schools only need the FAFSA. So the first step is to check each school on your list. Look at their financial aid page or just ask the aid office. They will tell you if the CSS Profile is required.
How is it different from the FAFSA?
The CSS Profile and the FAFSA both look at your family's money. But the CSS Profile digs deeper and asks about things the FAFSA leaves out. Here are the main differences.
The home equity point is a big one. Your primary home is never reported on the FAFSA. But on the CSS Profile, the value of your home can count against you. So a family that looks low-need on the FAFSA might look different on the CSS Profile. Want to know what does and does not count federally? Read our assets on the FAFSA page.
The grandparent 529 point matters too. A 529 plan owned by a grandparent is invisible to the FAFSA. It does not count as an asset, and money paid out does not count as the student's income. But the CSS Profile may still ask about it and count it. Learn more on our grandparent 529 page.
Does the CSS Profile cost money?
The CSS Profile may have a fee to file. This is different from the FAFSA, which is always free. The fee can also depend on how many schools you send it to. Some students qualify for fee waivers based on their family's income. If cost is a worry, check whether you qualify for a waiver when you start the form.
Who needs to file it?
You need to file the CSS Profile if any school on your list requires it. That is the rule. If even one of your colleges asks for it, you fill it out. If none of them do, you can skip it.
So how do you know? Make a list of every school you are applying to. Then check each one. Their aid office or website will say if the CSS Profile is needed. Do this early. The CSS Profile can have its own deadlines, often around the same time as your college applications.
Do not leave aid on the table
Here is the heart of it. The FAFSA and the CSS Profile do two different jobs. Filing the FAFSA alone does not unlock a school's own money if that school wants the CSS Profile too. You must file both.
The CSS Profile takes more time and asks harder questions. But the payoff can be large. Schools that use it often have deep pockets of their own aid. Filing it carefully can be worth thousands of dollars to your family.
Bottom line. The CSS Profile is a second aid form from the College Board that 200-plus mostly private colleges use. It counts home equity and grandparent 529s, asks deeper questions, and may charge a fee. If your school requires it, file it. Skipping it means walking away from real money.
Start with how to apply →Frequently asked questions
The CSS Profile is a financial aid form run by the College Board. Colleges use it to decide how to give out their own institutional aid, which is separate from the federal aid the FAFSA controls.
The CSS Profile counts your home equity and may count grandparent-owned 529 plans, both of which the FAFSA ignores. It asks deeper questions, is run by the College Board, and may charge a fee. The FAFSA is always free.
No. More than 200 colleges, most of them private, use it. Many public and state schools only need the FAFSA. Check each school on your list to see what it requires.
If a school requires it and you do not file it, you give up that school's own grants and scholarships. That can be thousands of dollars in aid you never receive.