How to Complete the PROFILE
The PROFILE Process
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® is the financial aid application service of the College Board. Almost 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 for each student, based on information your child supplies during registration. Customization allows the PROFILE to respond to the unique needs of each applicant and provides a streamlined application process, by asking only the questions that pertain to your child, family, and financial situation. Register at PROFILE Online, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Registration requires a College Board online account.
- Go to PROFILE Online.
- Create a College Board online account.
When to Register
Students should register for PROFILE as soon as they're sure about where they are applying for aid. This should be—at the minimum—at least two weeks before the earliest college or scholarship program priority filing date your child needs to meet. The priority filing date is the date by which the college or program tells you that you must have submitted a completed PROFILE Application.
How Much Does It Cost to Complete the PROFILE?
Your child is charged an application fee of $9, plus $16 for each college or scholarship program to which your child wants information sent. A limited number of fee waivers are granted automatically to first-time applicants from low-income families, based on the financial information provided on the PROFILE.
Completing the PROFILE
Once your child registers online, the personalized PROFILE application is available to complete. Your child can choose to complete the application immediately or return to it a later time. A customized preapplication worksheet can be printed after the registration process. This worksheet helps your child review the application questions in advance and contains important information to assist you. What your child can expect in the PROFILE application:
- Customized application questions tailored to your unique family and financial circumstances
- Supplemental questions required by one or more of your child's colleges or scholarship programs (if applicable)
- An easy to navigate system that provides a unique Help code for each question. Just click on the "?"
- 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 (PROFILE customer service hours listed below), including extensive FAQs.
Speed: Colleges and scholarship programs request to receive your information via a paper report or electronically. Paper reports are sent within one week. Electronic data is sent according to the schedule requested. Make sure your child submits the PROFILE in time 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 recipients 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 preapplication worksheet—it will save time, and is available in both English and Spanish.
What Happens After Your Child Applies?
Your child prints the acknowledgment, which includes the data entered on your child's application and college list. The acknowledgment can be used to make changes to the PROFILE information, and gives your child information about the next steps in the process.
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.
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
January–April: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time
May–December: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time
