FAFSA FRIDAY: FAFSA or CSS Profile, Do I Need Both?

The Squeeze

• FAFSA is the application schools use to determine a student’s eligibility for federal student aid, including scholarships, grants, work-study and student loans. Most schools also use it to determine eligibility for non-federal aid.
• A CSS Profile by College Board is the application certain schools use to determine a student’s eligibility for non-federal aid, including scholarships, grants and loans funded by the state or institution.
• All students should fill out a FAFSA each year, but you only need to submit a CSS Profile if your school requires it. 

College application season is a laugh riot, amiright?

But even as you prod your child to finish their application and the essays for each college they’re eyeing, don’t forget to put your hat in the ring for financial aid, too. Other than private scholarship applications, there are two forms you will need to fill out for the bulk of your financial aid: a FAFSA and a CSS Profile.

Here’s what you need to know about those two applications — and how to figure out which you need to complete.

What is the difference between a FAFSA and a CSS Profile?

TL;DR: A FAFSA is the application schools use to determine a student’s eligibility for federal financial aid.

A CSS Profile is used by some schools and scholarship programs to determine eligibility for non-federal aid.

All students should fill out the FAFSA each year, but you only have to submit a CSS Profile if your school requires it.

Keep reading for all the juicy details.

What is a FAFSA?

FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — is the form parents and students fill out to qualify for federal financial aid for college.

You put your family’s relevant financial information into this form, and once they’ve accepted the student for admission, schools use it to determine how much and what kind of federal aid you’re eligible to receive.

Schools use information from the FAFSA to determine eligibility for every kind of public financial aid, including scholarships, grants, work-study and federal student loans.

Who needs a FAFSA

Every student planning to attend an accredited college or university should fill out the FAFSA, regardless of your household income or whether you plan to take out a student loan. 

When to fill out the FAFSA

FAFSA day is October 1. This is when the application opens at fafsa.ed.gov for the next academic year. Note: some states have set their submission deadline as early as December.

Pro Tip: Fill out the FAFSA as early as you can because some states dole out aid on a first-come, first-served basis.

You have to fill out the FAFSA each year you want federal aid, starting with the October before your first year of college. The Federal Student Aid office makes it simple, though: you can submit a renewal FAFSA in subsequent years, and the form will be pre-filled with your information. You just have to check it to update anything that has changed.

Information You Need to Fill out a FAFSA

To fill out the FAFSA, you’ll need this information handy for both the student and all parents (if the student is a dependent):

• An FSA ID for the student and a parent This is how you sign in to fill out the form online.
• Social Security number or Alien Registration number
• State driver’s license number, if you have one
• Federal income tax returns for the previous year For the 2021–22 academic year, you’ll use 2019 returns. Most people can import this information electronically through the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, but make sure you have tax returns and W-2s or 1099s handy in case you’re not eligible to use that option.
• Records of untaxed income, like child support or veterans’ benefits.
• Bank statements for any financial accounts, including savings, checking and investment accounts, and real estate (except your primary residence).
• List of schools you’re interested in applying for, up to 10. List them all, even if you’re just considering it — you can always remove it later, but you might not be able to add it.

What is a CSS profile?

The College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile is an application some schools and scholarship programs use to determine your eligibility for non-federal aid, including institutional scholarships and state-based financial aid. 

The CSS Profile is administered by College Board, the same nonprofit organization running K-12 standardized testing and the AP and SAT assessments. More than 400 schools use this application, and College Board keeps a list of CSS Profile participating schools.

Just like the FAFSA, both students and parents need to add their information to a student’s CSS Profile for consideration.

Cost to Submit a CSS Profile

Unlike the FAFSA (which has “free” right in the name), submitting a CSS Profile comes with a fee. You’ll pay $25 to submit to the first institution and $16 for each additional school.

Some applicants might be eligible for a CSS Profile fee waiver if they meet any one of these criteria:

• You got a waiver for the SAT fee.
• Parents’ income is $45,000 or less for a family of four.
• The student is an orphan or ward of the court, under 24 years old.

Who Needs a CSS Profile

Whether you need to fill out a CSS Profile depends on whether the schools you’re applying to require it. Many colleges use the information from your FAFSA to determine eligibility for both federal and state aid, but more than 400 institutions require a CSS Profile for state aid.

When to fill out a CSS profile

Applications open at cssprofile.org on October 1 each year for the following academic year. Each college sets its own deadline, so submit yours as early as possible to any school you apply to.

You’ll need to submit a new CSS Profile to your school for each year you want to receive aid. When you log in, your profile information should remain intact, and you can update anything that’s changed before submitting. 

Information you need to fill out a CSS profile

To fill out a CSS Profile, you’ll need this information for both the student and all parents (if the student is a dependent):

• College Board username and password The student might have already created one for SAT or AP tests. If not, you’ll create a new student account to use for both the student and parent.
• Most recently completed tax returns.
• W-2s or 1099s for the current year.
• Records of untaxed income, like child support or VA benefits, for the current year.
• Bank statements for financial accounts, including savings, checking and investment accounts, and real estate investments.

Do you need both FAFSA and CSS?

You need to fill out a FAFSA to be considered for federal student aid, and you need to fill out a CSS Profile to be considered for state and institutional aid through schools that require it.

If you’re filling out a CSS, you should also complete a FAFSA.

We recommend that every student applying for college fill out a FAFSA even if you don’t want student loans because you could be eligible for scholarships or grants you weren’t expecting. If your school or program is on the College Board’s list of CSS Profile participating schools and scholarship programs, you should also submit a CSS to be considered for non-federal aid.

If your school isn’t on that list, you don’t have to submit a CSS Profile, but you’ll still be considered for non-federal aid. The institution will use the info on your FAFSA to determine your eligibility for both federal and non-federal aid.