CSS Profile

What is the CSS Profile?

The College Scholarship Service (CSS)  financial aid application is required at over 200 colleges and universities that follow the Consensus methodology. So for these schools, if you want to be considered for need-based aid, and in some cases, merit-based scholarships, you have to complete both the CSS profile AND the FAFSA. The CSS profile determines institutional aid from the school, not federal aid (that’s what the FAFSA does). 

The CSS profile digs deeper into a family’s financial situation than the FAFSA does, with 17 sections and hundreds of questions, including asking about home equity. Consider it like the FAFSA on steroids. It’s going to require more information and take more time to complete, so be sure to carve out more time to sit and complete it.