Your Guide to CSS

The CSS or College Service Scholarship is an application for financial aid that some higher education institutions, approximately 300 colleges, programs, career schools use to make financial aid assistance decision. Therefore, the deadline to complete it is two weeks before the earliest school/ scholarship/program priority application date that you have to meet.

The CSS is very similar to the FAFSA, except that submitting your CSS profile to a school or program will cost you $25 USD. Each additional report will cost you $16 USD.

BUT

There are CCS Fee Waivers for undergrads that allow you to submit your profile for free if:

- You qualified for an SAT fee waiver.

or

- Your family adjusted income is under $100,000 UDS or

- You are an orphan / ward of the court under the age of 24.

When you submit your CSS Profile report to a school or program, the data is used to determine your financial aid award.

Source:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-101/how-to-completethe-css-financial-aid-profile