CSS Profile
A supplementary aid form used by ~250 selective colleges to award their own institutional aid. Goes beyond FAFSA in detail.
The CSS Profile is a financial aid form administered by the College Board and used by approximately 250 selective private colleges, plus some public universities, to award institutional need-based aid. It collects more detailed information than the FAFSA, including home equity, non-custodial parent income, and small-business asset details.
The CSS Profile is required by most Ivy League schools, top liberal arts colleges, and many highly selective private universities. Filing fees apply (around $25 for the first school, $16 for each additional), with fee waivers available for lower-income families.
For parents, the practical workflow is to file FAFSA first (federal aid baseline) and CSS Profile in parallel for any school that requires it. Schools list their requirements on the financial aid pages of their websites. Deadlines for the CSS Profile typically align with each school's application deadline.
Related terms
View all terms- FAFSAThe Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The main form for federal grants, loans, and most state and institutional aid in the U.S.
- SAIStudent Aid Index. The current FAFSA-calculated number used to determine federal and most institutional financial aid eligibility.
- EFCExpected Family Contribution. The legacy term for what families were expected to pay annually toward college, now replaced by SAI.
- Pell GrantA federal need-based grant for undergraduate students that does not need to be repaid. Maximum award rises annually with inflation.
- Net PriceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships, as opposed to the published sticker price. The number that should drive budgeting decisions.