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"Not all financial aid is created equal. In comparing your aid awards, keep your eye on the percent of the award that is gift aid and the percent of aid that is loans or work-study."
Lynn Nichelson, Director of Financial Aid, Illinois Wesleyan University

How to Complete the PROFILE

The PROFILE Process

CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® is the financial aid application service of the College Board. More than 600 colleges, universities, graduate and professional schools, and scholarship programs use the information collected on the PROFILE to determine eligibility for nonfederal student aid funds. The PROFILE is a fully Web-based application system that provides students a secure and efficient method for reporting their financial data to schools.

How to Register

PROFILE applications are customized to each student, based on information supplied during the registration step. Customization allows the PROFILE to respond to the unique needs of each applicant. Students register at PROFILE Online. Connect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Online registration requires a collegeboard.com account and payment by debit card, credit card, or check.

When to Register

Students should register for PROFILE as soon as they're sure about where they are applying for aid. Your child should register at least two weeks before the earliest school or scholarship program filing date that needs to be met. The priority filing date means the date the school or program gives that the College Board must receive the completed PROFILE Application.

How Much Does It Cost to Complete the PROFILE?

You'll be charged a nonrefundable registration fee of $5, plus $18 for each college or scholarship program to which you want information sent. A limited number of fee waivers are granted automatically to first-time applicants based on the financial information provided on the PROFILE.

Completing the PROFILE

Once your child registers online, a personalized PROFILE application is available to complete. Students can choose to complete the application immediately or return to it at a later time. The pre-application worksheet, available in English and Spanish, can be printed and reviewed in advance of completing the PROFILE application. This tool can help applicants gather all the necessary family financial information prior to completing the application.

What your child can expect in the PROFILE application:

  • Questions your child must answer
  • Questions to be completed by you (if applicable)
  • Questions required by one or more of your child's schools or scholarship programs (if applicable)
  • An online Noncustodial PROFILE that you must complete if you are a noncustodial parent (if applicable)
  • The Business/Farm Supplement (if applicable)

PROFILE Online Features

Flexibility:  24/7 access to the application. Start, resume, and submit the application any time.

Support:  Online help is available, including a live chat service with customer service representatives (PROFILE customer service hours listed below), and extensive FAQs.

Speed:  Information is processed and transmitted to colleges or scholarship programs within two business days, allowing students to meet important institutional deadlines.

Accuracy:  Using online edits, we will alert your child about missing or incorrect information before your child submits the application for processing. This step ensures that only accurate and complete applications are forwarded to schools for review.

Security:  Information is stored in a secure environment with firewall protection. All data that passes between your computer and the College Board, including your family's personal and payment information, is data encrypted.

Tips for Completing the PROFILE

  • Make sure your child applies on time. Review the priority filing dates for all schools to ensure the application arrives on time. Remember, colleges use PROFILE information to determine who gets limited grant dollars. Late filers must make do with what is left over and may lose eligibility altogether.
  • Have your tax returns and financial documents handy. Ideally, you'll already have completed your tax return for the most recent tax year.
  • Your child should leave plenty of time to fill out the form. Don't assume the entire application can be completed in one session. We recommend your child start at least one week before intending to complete the form.
  • Use the Pre-Application worksheet—it will save time, and is available in both English and Spanish.

What Happens After Your Child Applies?

PROFILE data is analyzed and reported back to the colleges and scholarship programs. They then apply their own need analysis formulas to determine your family's ability to pay for education costs. Many PROFILE colleges use a need analysis formula developed by the College Board, known as the Institutional Methodology (IM), which helps schools target their funds to families in an equitable way.

The colleges on your child's list receive a Financial Need Analysis Report which the aid office uses to determine award eligibility. If your child sends the aid office supplemental information, that will be considered in addition to the PROFILE data, when considering eligibility for funds.

Your child prints the acknowledgment, which includes the Data Confirmation Report and the college list. The acknowledgment can be used to make changes to the PROFILE information, and gives information about the next steps in the process.

Getting Help

  • Call PROFILE customer service at (305) 829-9793 / TTY (800) 915-9990
  • Email questions about PROFILE to help@cssprofile.org.

PROFILE Customer Service Hours

October to March: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time
April to September: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time