Other Financial Aid Applications

While all applicants for graduate federal financial aid must complete the FAFSA, some colleges or scholarship organizations require students to complete additional applications to be considered for non-federal forms of financial aid.

The most common form in this category is the College Scholarship Service's Profile (also called the CSS Profile) application. This form is used by many private colleges and universities and provides an early planning and more in-depth financial reporting tool from which schools make awards of institutionally controlled funds.

The Profile form is a fee-based form. Applicants must pay a $6 registration fee and $16 per school that you would like your Profile data sent to.

The Profile asks more detailed questions (than the FAFSA) about a family's income and assets and provides the information schools need to calculate an Institutional Methodology Expected Family Contribution (IM EFC). The IM EFC is used by these colleges and universities to allocate aid programs funded directly by the Institution. The Profile form also is available for processing slightly earlier in the financial aid cycle (than the FAFSA).

You can learn more about the Profile, including what schools require aid applicants to complete the Profile, at The College Board's website.

Also see the FAFSA page.

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