If you're applying to U.S. colleges, you'll run into two financial aid applications: the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. They ask similar questions, but they unlock different money, they're run by different organizations, and many students only need one of them. This guide explains what each one does, what each costs, and how to tell whether you need both.
The short answer
- The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the U.S. Department of Education's form. It's how you're considered for federal student aid, and states and colleges also use FAFSA information to award their own grants, scholarships and loans (Federal Student Aid: FAFSA deadlines).
- The CSS Profile is an online application run by the College Board. Colleges and scholarship programs use it to award non-federal institutional aid, meaning the school's own money (College Board: About CSS Profile).
- Do you need both? Only if at least one of your schools or scholarship programs asks for the CSS Profile. U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens applying for federal aid file the FAFSA either way. Check the College Board's list of participating colleges and programs and each school's financial aid page.
Side by side
| Question | FAFSA | CSS Profile |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | U.S. Department of Education (Federal Student Aid) | College Board |
| Used for | Federal aid; many states and colleges also use it for their own aid | Non-federal institutional aid at colleges and scholarship programs that use it |
| Who uses it | Colleges and states that award aid from it | Only participating colleges and scholarship programs |
| Opens | The 2027–28 form is available now | October 1 each year |
| Cost / where to file | Filed online at StudentAid.gov | $25 for the first school, $16 for each additional school; fee waivers for some domestic undergraduates |
| International students | F-1 and J-1 visa holders aren't eligible for federal aid | Some colleges use it to award aid to international students |
The FAFSA: what it covers and when it's due
The 2027–28 FAFSA form is the one to file if you'll attend school between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028. The 2026–27 form covers July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027 (Federal Student Aid: Filling out the FAFSA form). Federal Student Aid says most people finish their own section in 12 minutes or less, and each person who has to contribute information, such as a parent, needs their own StudentAid.gov account.
The federal deadline for the 2027–28 form is 11:59 p.m. Central time on June 30, 2028, with corrections due by September 12, 2028. But that's the last possible date, not the one to aim for. Federal Student Aid notes that each college may set its own deadline, many states have earlier ones, and some state aid is awarded until the money runs out (Federal Student Aid: FAFSA deadlines). File as early as you can.
The FAFSA is the gateway to federal grants, work-study and federal student loans. For what each one is and how they show up on an offer, see Ways to pay for U.S. undergraduates.
The CSS Profile: what it covers and what it costs
The College Board describes the CSS Profile as an online application that colleges and scholarship programs use to award non-federal institutional aid, and says it opens on October 1 each year. Schools set their own deadlines, and the College Board advises submitting by midnight Eastern time on your earliest priority filing date (College Board: About CSS Profile; Getting started).
Cost. The CSS Profile is $25 for the first school and $16 for each additional school (College Board: CSS Profile cost). Domestic undergraduate applicants get a fee waiver if their family's adjusted gross income is up to $100,000, if they qualified for an SAT fee waiver, or if they're an orphan or ward of the court under 24. A fee waiver covers all application and reporting fees. U.S. citizens living abroad aren't eligible, because a dependent student's custodial parents must live in the U.S. or a U.S. territory (College Board: Fee waivers; Fee waiver FAQ (PDF)).
Divorced or separated parents. Some colleges ask for a CSS Profile from both the custodial and the noncustodial parent. The noncustodial parent creates a separate account (College Board: Getting started). The FAFSA doesn't work this way, so if your parents live apart, budget extra time for the CSS Profile.
Why the two can give different results
Because the CSS Profile is used for a college's own money, each college decides how to use what you report. That's why two schools can reach different conclusions about what your family can pay. When offers arrive, compare them line by line with our guide on how to read a financial aid offer, and check each school's published cost on our cost of attendance page.
If you're an international student
Students in the U.S. on an F-1, F-2 or M-1 student visa, or a J-1 or J-2 exchange visitor visa, aren't eligible for federal student aid (Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for non-U.S. citizens). Unless you're a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, the FAFSA usually isn't your form.
The CSS Profile can be. The College Board says many colleges give institutional aid to international students. Your family can enter amounts in your home currency, and the system converts them (College Board: International students). Not every participating college uses it for international applicants, so check the participating institutions list and each college's own instructions. For which colleges give aid to international students, see Ways to pay for international undergraduates, our international aid data, the need-blind and full-need list and what 11 colleges report in Common Data Set section H6.
What about graduate school?
Graduate students should check each program's own instructions. Most graduate funding comes through your department rather than either form. That includes assistantships, tuition waivers and fellowships. Start with Ways to pay for graduate school, and look for paid research roles in research and internships.
A simple checklist
- List every college and scholarship program you're applying to.
- For each one, check its financial aid page: FAFSA only, CSS Profile only, or both? Note each deadline.
- If you're a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, file the FAFSA as soon as you can.
- If any school or program needs the CSS Profile, file it by the earliest priority date on your list. Find out early whether a noncustodial parent profile is required.
- Keep copies of what you submitted. Some schools ask for documents afterward.
For every other way to cover the cost, see Ways to pay.
Facts above come from Federal Student Aid (StudentAid.gov) and the College Board's CSS Profile site, checked October 22, 2026. Rules, fees and deadlines can change, so confirm with each school's financial aid office.