CSS PROFILE: Financial Aid Application Advice

The FAFSA financial aid application is unquestionably one of the most important financial aid forms you'll ever fill out, but it's not the only one. Many schools also use the CSS PROFILE Financial Aid Form, a financial aid profile produced by the College Board. The acronym "CSS" stands for College Scholarship Service.

The CSS PROFILE form is used primarily by colleges for determining non-federal financial aid, such as institutional scholarships, grants, and loans. The CSS PROFILE is also a more detailed questionnaire than the FAFSA, focusing on information about the specific programs at schools you will be applying to.

FAFSA and the CSS PROFILE Key Differences

• The FAFSA is free, the CSS PROFILE is not. The cost for filing your CSS PROFILE is $24 for the first college, which includes a $5 registration fee and $18 processing fee). There is an $18 processing fee for each additional college. The FAFSA is free to file.
• Deadlines: The FAFSA can be submitted beginning on January 1 (or 2 or 3, depending on what day of the week the first business day of the new year is). The CSS PROFILE can be submitted prior to January 1.
• Both financial aid applications use different needs analysis formulas. The FAFSA uses what is called the Federal Methodology (FM) for determining financial need, while the CSS PROFILE uses the Institutional Methodology (IM). Generally speaking, the Institutional Methodology formula asks families to contribute more money to the cost of education than the Federal Methodology. Key differences include:
  • The IM takes into account home equity - the value of a house. FM does not.
  • IM assumes a minimum level of contribution from the student. FM assumes that students may not be able to contribute anything.
  • IM is tied to the consumer price index, while FM is tied to governmental studies of the low standard of living.

Why would a school choose the CSS PROFILE vs. FAFSA financial aid application? Primarily because it allows the school to ask tailored, customized questions about a student's financial aid situation that the FAFSA cannot (because the FAFSA is a fully standardized form).

To file a CSS PROFILE, you will need to contact your school's financial aid office. To file a FAFSA, just use our FAFSA Financial Aid Application.