A more detailed financial aid form required by many private colleges.
The CSS Profile (from the College Board) is used by roughly 400 colleges, mostly private, to distribute their own institutional aid. It asks for more financial detail than the FAFSA — home equity, business value, medical expenses, non-custodial parent income, etc.
Why it matters
If any school on your list requires the CSS Profile, you must file it to be considered for their grants and scholarships. It is more work than the FAFSA, but the institutional aid it unlocks can be substantial — often larger than federal aid at private schools.
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