Completing the CSS Profile
October 4, 2023
As part of the financial aid process, some schools require students to complete the CSS Profile in addition to the FAFSA in order to better understand your family’s finances. At this panel discussion, admissions and financial aid officers from Coalition schools share tips to help you complete the form and answer questions.
Watch the video and read on below for a recap of FAQs!
Featuring: Boston University, Stanford University, Washington University in St. Louis
Please note: Spanish captions are available for this recording. Click on the gear icon at the bottom of the video, and in the settings, select the language for the captions. | Hay subtítulos en español disponibles para esta grabación. Haga clic en el ícono de ajustes en la parte inferior del video y, en la configuración, seleccione el idioma para los subtítulos.
FAQs about the CSS Profile
Our panelists answered more than 200 questions in the chat during this session! Read on for a look at some of the information they shared.
Where do you fill out the CSS Profile?
Online at cssprofile.collegeboard.org.
What is the deadline for submitting the CSS Profile?
Deadlines vary by college, so students should check these on college websites.
Is it better to fill out the CSS Profile early?
It is important to meet the deadlines set by the colleges to which you are applying.
Do I have to fill out the CSS Profile every year?
Aid renewal requirements will vary by college. You can check the requirements on individual college websites. Some schools only require it during the year of initial application.
For the Fall 2024 class, how far do you go back for tax paperwork? Which tax year is used for CSS and FAFSA?
The 2024/2025 FAFSA and CSS profile will be asking for 2022 income information.
How much on average is the fee for the CSS profile? Does it depend per school? Does it cost to send it to more than one school?
The CSS Profile is $25 for the initial application to one institution, and $16 for each additional institution. Some students may qualify for a fee waiver.
How do I obtain a CSS Profile fee waiver?
Here’s information about fee waivers for the CSS Profile: cssprofile.collegeboard.org/fee-waivers
How do we know which colleges require the CSS Profile?
We would recommend that you take a look at each schools website to see if they require the FAFSA, CSS Profile, or both.
Is there a limit to how many schools we can send the CSS Profile?
There is no limit, but if you do not have a fee waiver, there will be a fee for each school you send it to.
Does the college application have to be submitted first before submitting a CSS Profile?
You can complete the Profile first, but until you apply to the schools there won't be a student record for you application to link to.
Do you submit to all schools at the same time? What if you are applying to schools at different times?
You can select what schools you want to submit the application to. If you want to add a school after initially submitting it, you can add schools later!
I’m a student. Do I fill out the CSS Profile?
Yes, students fill out the CSS Profile but will need to work with their parent/guardian(s) to collect the necessary information.
Do parents needs to fill any parts of CSS Profile?
Parents will need to help students retrieve the information about parent income and assets. If there is a noncustodial parent in another household, their contact information will be entered into the student's primary CSS Profile and then that second parent will get a link with a noncustodial parent CSS Profile they must complete, if required by your colleges.
Do students have to apply seperately for the different scholarships available on the college website or does the CSS Profile application cover those?
It will depend on each school and scholarship. You will need to check what the requirements are for each school/award.
Can you go back and change answers to questions or is it once you submit that is it?
You can make edits once through the CSS Profile Dashboard.
To clarify, the CSS Profile determines how much financial aid each school awards you?
If a school requires the CSS Profile, they will use the information provided there (and through the FAFSA) to determine your need-based eligibility for aid. Merit-based scholarships that some colleges are not dependent on need.
Is there a maximum income limit beyond which a student is not eligible for any financial aid?
Not necessarily. Income is only one factor in the needs analysis equation and is weighted equally with assets, number in household, and number in college. So income alone isn't a total reflection of what aid you might receive as it is only one piece of the puzzle.
If your parents are not married to each other, do you use the information of both or your primary parent? (The one you live with?)
Many colleges will require both the custodial parent's information through the CSS Profile and also a Noncustodial Parent CSS Profile to collect information from the other parent.
For separated parents (divorce in process) and the custody is 50% shared, which parent is the custodial parent and which is non-custodial parent?
The parent that provides more financial support would be considered custodial in this instance.
If I don’t have one of my parents’ financial information, can I still submit the CSS Profile with just one parent’s information?
If your parents are in different households but you have contact information for the noncustodial parent, they will get a link via email to the Noncustodial Parent Profile and they will enter that information themself.
If only one of my parents is in the picture but they are both living, is there a way to not need my absent parent? Some of the colleges on my list want both parents’ information.
If you have no contact with the noncustodial parent and do not have contact information for them, you can indicate this when you enter your parent information. You can also submit a waiver request for the noncustodial parent information. Each college will make their determination on whether that waiver request is approved.
Is there a place on application to document that the other parent is deceased?
Yes, when you enter the names of your parents you can indicate that one is deceased.
There is a question on the CSS profile that asks 'how much do you intend to pay for college' or something to that effect. How should that question be answered?
You can provide an honest estimate of what you plan to contribute out-of-pocket.
For the question, “How much did your (parent1) earn from work?”,should we use the after-tax or before-tax income?
You should include pre-tax as you will also be including taxes paid, so you don’t want to double dip on that benefit.
For current monetary situation, like bank account balances and stock holdings, does it matter what date one gets the values of those, since they can vary over the few months leading up to submitting the CSS Profile?
You should provide the values from the date you are completing the application.
How do I properly report a change in my parent's employment status if it is not reflected on the 2022 tax return?
You can include it in the special circumstances section, however, if it is from 2023, it is difficult to fully account for these until 2023 tax documents are available, so this might be a situation where you would appeal directly with the school once the documentation is available.
What if our financial situation this year is significantly different than last year, but the CSS Profile is asking last year's information?
You still need to answer the questions about 2022 income but in the "special circumstances" section you can describe financial changes. The CSS Profile also asks how much you expect to make in 2023. You may need to file an appeal later after your acceptance, to have your colleges fully consider more recent income.
If a parent receives Social Security survivor benefits for the child, do I include the Social Security payments as “untaxed income for the child” or where would that be input/does it need to be input?
Include them in the Social Security benefits section for whomever is the beneficiary of that specific payment.
In the section about siblings attending college, what should I put for the cost of attendance question? Can I use the published cost on the college website?
Yes, you can use the schools published cost of attendance.
Does the CSS account for student loans that parents owe from their own education?
You are able to include this information. Consideration of this varies from school to school.
The CSS Profile asks questions regarding original home purchase price, remaining amount of mortgage, and current home value. Is there somewhere to notate any loans, such as a home equity loan, that you are currently paying off?
You can include this amount in your mortgage balance.
If items are blank on your 1040, do you leave it blank on the CSS or do you input "0"?
You can leave these blank.
How do I report the value of my 401K? The balance from last statement or only the amount as of 2022?
Assets should be reported with their current value.
If the aid available falls in subsequent years, and I am not able to afford the subsequent college years, what should I do?
Colleges have an appeal process where you can express the need for reconsideration. However, when accepted with your first year award in hand, you should ask the college that you are considering how likley the aid is to change over the years depending on their renewal requirements.
What is IDOC and does it cost you money?
IDOC is a service used by CSS Profile to upload your documents (such as tax returns, W2s, etc.). Not every school will utilize IDOC though, so you may need to upload documents separately to different schools. IDOC does not cost you money.
What does “taxable earnings from financial aid” mean? Is that the total in financial aid you have received in the calendar year?
Typically, this would be work study earnings.
I moved to the United States a little over a year ago, I don’t have a tax return in the US from 2021. Should I still fill out the CSS Profile?
The CSS Profile uses prior prior year, meaning if you're submitting the 2024/2025 application, you'd be reporting 2022 income information. If you're doing 2023/2024 and don't have 2021 US tax returns, you should report the information based on your earnings that year. You can also explain the situation in the special circumstances section of the CSS Profile.