If you thought the “f” word (we mean FAFSA of course!) was complicated enough… there’s also a three-letter ”c” word - the CSS profile - to deal with.

The CSS PROFILE stands for the College Scholarship Service Profile and besides the FAFSA, it is the most common financial aid application that students fill out in the US.

Many private colleges and a handful of state schools ask you to fill out the CSS PROFILE form in addition to the FAFSA to give the schools more info on your financial need. So the CSS PROFILE is a lot more detailed.

The CSS PROFILE is often used at colleges with early acceptance programs. The form lets the college make early financial aid decisions because the FAFSA isn’t available until after January 1st.  After the student completes the FAFSA, the school can make changes, if needed.

To file for the CSS PROFILE, you have to register with the College Board. You gotta do it online. There is a $5 registration fee and an $18 processing fee per school. So carefully review each college’s financial aid requirements in order to see which ones actually require the profile.

When you fill out the PROFILE, there are certain core questions that you have to fill out, no matter which school you are applying to.

There are also institutional questions. Here, the College Board has a pool of about 200 other optional questions taken from individual college aid forms and specific financial aid offices. Based on the college or program codes that you provide when you register, the College Board will call up the appropriate questions required from the school. So make sure to select the right code numbers for the colleges and programs!

There are also some optional supplements like the Noncustodial Parent’s Statement or the Business/Farm Supplement that you may receive based on your answers. If so, complete them and send them to those student aid offices that require the particular form.

If you are applying to more schools or programs that can fit on your PROFILE form, make sure to select schools that have an earlier deadline first. You can then add the additional schools or programs, once the PROFILE data has been processed.