The College Board CSS Profile Explained

If you are applying for financial aid at a college or university that grants private institutional grants to students, then you will be prompted to complete the application / CSS PROFILE funding. The CSS profile (as most people call it) is a College Board service, uh, non-profit national membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity.

More than 600 members of the College Board colleges, universities, colleges and scholarship programs use the information collected on the profile of CSS application to help grant helps fund non-federal student. Federal student aid is determined by the FAFSA application.

When you file CSS profile?

Individual colleges have their own deadlines. As you CSS profile file?

Fill the application profile requires you to have a secure browser and because it is fresh, a valid credit card or checking account. Unlike the FAFSA, there is no possibility of submitting a paper form.

If you do not have a computer at home, sign up for your online profile request in your school or local library. Then print the pre-application worksheet and instructions. Back to school or to the library and enter the information, to return to your application using your username and password secure.

What is the CSS profile?

To date, the fee for the initial claim and a college or program of the report is $ 25. To send additional reports at $ 16 per college costs. documentation if their parents receive TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) or SSI (Supplemental Security Income).

The housing situation of their parents (eg, own, rent).

The personal information, including your social security number.

After registering online you will find detailed instructions and an extended aid office, including frequently asked questions.

What information does the CSS profile ask?

Colleges use the profile to calculate the share of expected family (EFS) of the cost of education. EFS is the best estimate of the capacity of your family profile (compared to other families) to absorb, over time, the costs of education, including tuition, housing and fees. Therefore, the profile calls for a wider range of information than the FAFSA. The profile collects information on estimated earnings to family expenses Medical school year fee primary and secondary education, as well as the unusual circumstances. The profile can include the family income while damping paper, business, rental or capital losses that can reduce the adjusted gross income.

Some colleges may require additional information, such as tax returns or institutional application. If your parents are divorced, some colleges will also need your noncustodial parent to complete the profile without the CSS protection.

Remember, the College Board does not grant financial assistance can. Your college decides to grant institutional financial aid.