But there’s another financial aid form you may also need to fill out: the College Scholarship Service Profile, or CSS Profile.

Completing the CSS profile can help you qualify for non-federal aid opportunities. This form, unlike the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) , is used by a limited number of colleges ...

How is CSS different from FAFSA? Here are some examples of how financial aid is calculated differently under the FAFSA and CSS Profile: Family-owned and family-controlled small businesses (fewer ...

Non-federal financial aid, including the CSS Profile, helps US students cover college costs beyond federal aid like FAFSA. The CSS Profile, used by around 270 institutions, captures detailed ...

Their No. 1 complaint every time? The CSS Profile. That’s the name of the online financial-aid form students must complete to apply for institutional aid at many prominent colleges.

CSS Profile: Everything You Need to Know for 2025-26 Hundreds of colleges use the CSS Profile to award institutional grants and scholarships to students. The 2025-26 form opened on Oct. 1, 2024.

If you have children going to college, this 2015 guide will simplify the complex world of college financial aid and will help you understand the FAFSA and CSS Profile college aid forms.

This guide explains how college aid formulas calculate expected family contribution (EFC) based on information taken from the two financial aid forms, the FAFSA and CSS Profile, how financial aid ...

Students applying to a college that requires the CSS Profile or families seeking financial aid and interested in schools that utilize the form should follow these steps.