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 and provides a streamlined application process. Students only respond to the questions that pertain to them. 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.
- Go to PROFILE Online.
- Create a collegeboard.com account.
When to Register
Students should register for PROFILE as soon as they're sure about where they are applying for aid. You should register at least two weeks before the earliest school or scholarship program filing date you need to meet. The priority filing date means the date the school or program tells you that the College Board must receive your completed PROFILE Application.
How Much Does It Cost?
You'll be charged a nonrefundable registration fee of $9, plus $16 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 you register online, your personalized PROFILE application is available to complete. You can choose to complete the application immediately or return to it a later time. A customized pre-application worksheet can be printed after the registration process. This worksheet will help you review the application questions in advance and will contain important information to assist you. You can also print a pre-application worksheet (available in English and Spanish) that will contain the comprehensive list of PROFILE questions.
What you can expect in the PROFILE application:
- Customized application questions uniquely tailored to your unique family and financial circumstances
- Questions required by one or more of your schools 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 must be completed by your 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) 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 you about missing or incorrect information before submitting your 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 personal and payment information, is data encrypted.
Tips for Completing the PROFILE
- Make sure you apply 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 have already completed your tax return for the most recent tax year.
- You should leave plenty of time to fill out the form. Don't assume the entire application can be completed in one session. We recommend you 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 You Apply?
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 list receive a Financial Need Analysis Report which the aid office uses to determine award eligibility. If you send the aid office supplemental information, that will be considered in addition to the PROFILE data, when considering your eligibility for funds.
You print the acknowledgment, which includes the Data Confirmation Report and your college list. The acknowledgment can be used to make changes to the PROFILE information, and gives you 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
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
