Some colleges require the CSS Profile and supporting documents in addition to the FAFSA to consider your child for their own aid. Check the requirements at each school on your child's list before treating the financial aid applications as complete.
The FAFSA is the free federal financial aid application. States and colleges also use its information. The CSS Profile is a separate College Board application used by participating colleges and scholarship programs for nonfederal aid. Completing one does not automatically complete the other. Federal Student Aid and College Board explain their respective applications.
What is the difference?
| Question | FAFSA | CSS Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it? | U.S. Department of Education | College Board |
| What is it used for? | Federal aid, plus many state and college aid programs | Nonfederal aid at participating institutions and programs |
| What does it cost? | Free | Generally $25 for the first institution and $16 for each additional institution; fee waivers are available |
| Where do you complete it? | StudentAid.gov | CSSProfile.CollegeBoard.org |
| Which deadline matters? | Check school, state, and federal deadlines | Check each participating school's requirements |
College Board lists the CSS Profile fees. It also states that domestic undergraduate students with family income up to $100,000 can submit it free; additional waiver criteria may apply. Review its application and fee-waiver guidance before paying.
Check your child's actual college list
Open the financial aid application page for every school. Make sure you are looking at the correct entering year and applicant category. First-year, transfer, and returning students may have different instructions.
Boston College requires the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and supporting documents from undergraduates applying for need-based institutional aid. Other colleges may ask for different forms or documents. Read Boston College's current application instructions.
Create a short tracking sheet with a row for each college and columns for the required forms, deadline, submission date, and missing documents. Include the admission round. An early-decision application can bring an earlier financial aid deadline with it.
Federal, state, and college deadlines serve different purposes. Waiting for the federal deadline can mean missing earlier opportunities for school or state aid. Federal Student Aid explains the three deadline categories.
Use the correct FAFSA year and tax information
For a student attending college in fall 2027, the relevant application is generally the 2027-28 FAFSA. It uses 2025 tax information. The 2026-27 application uses 2024 tax information. Summer enrollment can require a school-specific answer about which application to use. Check Federal Student Aid's year-by-year instructions.
Have the requested tax records and current financial information available before you begin. Read the date attached to each question. A tax-year income question and a question about an account's current value are asking for different things.
If income has fallen since the tax year used on the FAFSA, submit the requested information accurately, then contact the college about the change. Do not substitute a different year's income because it seems more representative. The aid office can explain its process for reviewing changed circumstances. Federal Student Aid's guidance covers this situation.
- 01Check each school
Required forms, admission round, and deadlines.
- 02Submit the forms
FAFSA, plus CSS Profile where required.
- 03Confirm receipt
Review portals and send requested documents.
Each college sets its own requirements. Keep a record for every school.
The parent-account rules are different
For the FAFSA, the student and each required contributor need their own StudentAid.gov account. Complete your own section and provide the required consent and approval for the use of tax information. Being a contributor does not, by itself, make you responsible for paying the college bill. See the FAFSA instructions for parents.
For the CSS Profile, follow College Board's account instructions. A student who already has an account for the SAT, PSAT, or AP can use it. College Board directs custodial parents to use the student's account; a required noncustodial parent creates a separate account. College Board explains the sign-in process.
When helping your child fill out a form, check whether each question asks about the student or the parent before answering.
Divorced or separated families should check both sets of rules
For FAFSA purposes, when divorced or separated parents live apart, the parent who provided more financial support during the previous 12 months generally supplies the parent information. If support was equal, or neither parent provided support, the parent with greater income and assets is used. Remarriage can also affect the information required. Use the official FAFSA parent guidance for your situation.
Some CSS Profile colleges require information from both parental households. If contact with a parent is impossible or unsafe, ask each college about its noncustodial-parent waiver process. Schools make their own decisions, and submitting a waiver request does not ensure approval. College Board explains how these requests work.
Ask about required parent submissions early, leaving time to resolve missing information before the deadline.
Keep checking after you submit
Save the submission confirmations, then review the FAFSA Submission Summary and each college's applicant portal. The FAFSA summary can flag information that needs attention. Its Student Aid Index, or SAI, is not a bill and is not a promise that your family will pay that amount. Colleges use financial aid information to determine their offers. Federal Student Aid explains the submission summary and SAI.
The CSS Profile dashboard may direct you to upload documents through IDOC, College Board's document service. Schools can also request information through their own systems. Check the instructions before assuming a document uploaded in one place has reached every college.
Keep your tracking sheet open until each school shows the required materials as received. If something remains missing, contact that school's aid office with the submission date and confirmation details.
If you need help organizing the applications or preparing questions for the colleges, see our financial aid guidance for Massachusetts families. Have your child's college list and each school's current instructions available when we talk.
Sources checked October 14, 2026. Rules and school policies can change. Confirm requirements with the relevant financial aid office.
