The information here comes from our CSS Profile training module, available through Texas OnCourse Academy.
Every October, many college counselors and advisers are heads-down focused on helping students with FAFSA and TASFA applications. But did you know that students and families may qualify for additional financial aid through the CSS Profile (formerly called the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE) application? This application is used by 300+ colleges and scholarship providers and, like the SAT, is administered by the College Board.
Click here for the list of schools that use the CSS Profile.
In contrast to the FAFSA, which qualifies students for federal financial aid, the Profile application qualifies students for institutional financial aid. Colleges that use the CSS Profile have billions of dollars of their own scholarship money to award, beyond what the federal government can offer.
While the CSS Profile requires more information on a family’s finances, it may also be more likely to take into consideration factors like local cost of living or money spent on education.
Unlike the FAFSA, the CSS Profile is not free. Only if a student qualified for an SAT Fee Waiver – also issued by the College Board – can they waive their application fee.
CSS Profile application cost:
- To create an account: $9
- Additional cost per school: $16
- For students who received SAT fee waivers: Free up to 8 applications, but be sure to log into College Board from the account you used for SAT registration.
Counselors and advisers interested in learning more about the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE can access information on the steps to completing financial information and how to help students and families from the Texas OnCourse Academy or read more about financial aid in our Financial Aid Basics blog.
Additional information on this resource is included in this helpful article from TIME.
