CSS Profile : What is it? and What documents do you need?

CSS/PROFILE – A Financial Aid Form

The CSS/PROFILE is used to award their private grant money and scholarships. The PROFILE, as it is known in shorthand, is administered by the College Scholarship Service (CSS), the financial aid division of the College Board, and it is only accessible through the College Board website. One can find the form most directly by going to http://www.profileonline.collegeboard.com/. The College Board website is also the place to go to find the list of the colleges and universities that require the PROFILE. I would still advise families to visit the websites of each college to which your child is applying to check the form requirements and deadlines for submission.

The CSS PROFILE determines the Expected Family Contribution. The PROFILE looks at both the student and parents’ income and assets.
Some of the key differences are:
The PROFILE questions may vary from school to school, as colleges have some discretion to tailor the form to their specific institutions. As long as college financial aid officers remain within their institutional policies, they have the flexibility to exercise their “Professional Judgment” as they see fit.
- In general, the PROFILE requires information, particularly in terms of assets and expenses. For example, it considers the equity in the family’s primary residence (though a handful of colleges have elected to exclude this from the calculation, Princeton among them).
One last thought: Most colleges use these financial aid forms for awarding need based aid, not merit aid. There are exceptions, however. The best thing to do is to check with each school’s financial aid office to find out what is required to be eligible for both need and merit aid. And truly one last thing: financial aid deadlines at many schools follow close on the heels of college application due dates, so please look carefully at websites to make sure that these important deadlines are met.

Documents needed to complete the CSS
Tax returns
W2s (The W-2 form reports an employee's annual wages and the amount of taxes withheld from his or her paycheck, in USA)
Records of untaxed income
Current bank statements
Current mortgage information
Business and farm records
Records of stocks, bonds, and other investments
Social Security benefits and retirement plan information
If your custodial parent’s marital status is separated, divorced, or remarried, you will be sent an e-mail alerting you that your non-custodial parent needs to complete the NON-Custodial PROFILE. Your non-custodial parent will also need the above documents in order to complete their required portion of the CSS PROFILE accurately.