Financial Aid
CSS Profile reminder!
October deadlines are approaching!
The PROFILE Process (from collegeboard)
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® is the financial aid application service of the
College Board. More than 500 colleges, universities, graduate and
professional schools, and scholarship programs use the information collected
on the PROFILE to determine eligibility for nonfederal student aid funds. The
PROFILE is a fully Web-based application system that provides students a
secure and efficient method for reporting their financial data to higher
education institutions.
How to Register
PROFILE applications are customized for each student, based on information
you supply during registration. Customization allows the PROFILE to respond
to the unique needs of each applicant and provides a streamlined application
process, by asking only the questions that pertain to you, your family and
your financial situation. Register at PROFILE Online, available 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. Registration requires a College Board online account.
Go to PROFILE Online.
Create a College Board online account.
When to Register
You should register for PROFILE as soon as you're sure about where you are
applying for aid. This should be — at the minimum — at least two weeks
before the earliest college or scholarship program priority filing date you
need to meet. The priority filing date is the date by which the college or
program tells you that you must have submitted a completed PROFILE
Application.
How Much Does It Cost?
You are charged an application fee of $9, plus $16 for each college or
scholarship program to which you want information sent. A limited number of
fee waivers are granted automatically to first-year, first-time citizen — or
eligible non-citizen applicants — from low-income families, based on the
financial information provided on the PROFILE.
Completing the PROFILE
Once you register online, your personalized PROFILE application is available
to complete. You can choose to complete the application immediately or return
to it a later time. A customized preapplication worksheet can be printed
after the registration process. This worksheet helps you review your
application questions in advance and contains important information to assist
you. What you can expect in the PROFILE application:
Customized application questions about income, assets and expenses tailored
to your unique family and financial circumstances
Supplemental questions required by one or more of your colleges or
scholarship programs (if applicable)
An easy-to-navigate system that provides a unique Help code for each
question. Just click on the "?"
An online Noncustodial PROFILE that must be completed by your noncustodial
parent (if applicable)
PROFILE Online Features
Flexibility: 24/7 access to the application. Start, resume and submit the
application any time.
Support: Online help is available, including extensive FAQs. PROFILE
customer service hours are listed below.
Speed: Colleges and scholarship programs request your information via a
paper report or electronically. Paper reports are sent within one week.
Electronic data are sent according to the schedule requested. Make sure you
submit the PROFILE in time to meet important institutional deadlines.
Accuracy: Using online edits, we will alert you about missing or incorrect
information before submitting your application for processing. This step
ensures that only accurate and complete applications are forwarded to
institutions for review.
Security: Information is stored in a secure environment with firewall
protection. All data that pass between your computer and the College Board,
including your personal and payment information, are data encrypted.
Tips for Completing the PROFILE
Make sure you apply on time! Review the priority filing dates for all
recipients to ensure the application arrives on time. Remember, colleges use
PROFILE information to determine who gets limited grant dollars. Late filers
must make do with what is left over and may lose eligibility altogether.
Have your tax returns and financial documents handy. Ideally, you'll have
already completed your tax return for the most recent tax year.
You should leave plenty of time to fill out the form. Don't assume the entire
application can be completed in one session. We recommend you start at least
one week before intending to complete the form.
Save time by using the preapplication worksheet.
What Happens After You Apply?
After you submit your application, print the acknowledgment, which includes
the data you entered on your application and your college list. The
acknowledgment can be used to make changes to PROFILE information, and gives
you information about the next steps in the process.
PROFILE data are analyzed and reported back to the colleges and scholarship
programs. They then apply their own need analysis formulas to determine your
family's ability to pay for education costs. Many PROFILE colleges use a need
analysis formula developed by the College Board, known as the Institutional
Methodology (IM), which helps higher education institutions target their
funds to families in an equitable way.
The colleges on your list receive a Financial Need Analysis Report which the
aid office uses to determine award eligibility. If you send the aid office
supplemental information, that will be considered in addition to the PROFILE
data, when your eligibility for funds is considered.
Getting Help
Call PROFILE customer service at (305) 829-9793 / TTY (800) 915-9990
Email questions about PROFILE to help@cssprofile.org.
PROFILE Customer Service Hours
January–April: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time
May–December: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time
Financial aid links
CSS profile online application