What Families Need to Know This Fall

FAFSA and CSS Profile:

College applications may be getting most of the attention right now. Still, there is another important part of the college process that families need to put on the calendar: financial aid.

For students planning to begin college in fall 2027, there are two forms you may hear about this fall: the 2027–28 FAFSA and the 2027–28 CSS Profile. They are not the same thing, and your student may need to complete one or both. The good news? You do not need to panic, nor do you need to know where your student will attend college before getting started.

First: What Is the FAFSA?

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

The 2027–28 FAFSA is now available and should be completed by students who will attend college between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028. The FAFSA is used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid and may also be used by states and colleges when awarding their own aid. Federal Student Aid recommends that students complete the FAFSA if they want to be considered for grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and federal student loans.

And one important reminder:

There is no fee to complete it. For the 2027–28 FAFSA, families will generally be providing information based on 2025 income and tax information.

Students and Parents Need Their Own StudentAid.gov Accounts

Before beginning the FAFSA, the student and any required contributors should make sure they have their own StudentAid.gov accounts. A parent should not log in using the student’s account, and a student should not use a parent’s account.

The FAFSA will guide the student through determining which parent or other contributor needs to provide information. Federal tax information is generally transferred securely from the IRS after the required contributor provides consent.

My advice: Do not wait until the night of a financial aid deadline to figure all of this out.

Create the necessary accounts, gather your information, and give yourself time.

Then There Is the CSS Profile

The CSS Profile is a completely separate financial aid application administered by the College Board. It becomes available each year on October 1, and the application for students entering college in fall 2027 is now available. While the FAFSA is used for federal student aid, the CSS Profile is used by participating colleges and scholarship programs to determine eligibility for their own institutional, nonfederal financial aid.

Here is the important part:

Not every college requires the CSS Profile.

Before completing it, check the financial aid page for every college on your student’s list. College Board also maintains a list of participating institutions, but families should always verify requirements and deadlines directly with each college.

FAFSA vs. CSS Profile: What Is the Difference?

Think of them this way:

FAFSA

• Federal financial aid application

• Free to submit

• May also be used for state and college aid

• Complete at StudentAid.gov

• The 2027–28 form is for students attending college during the 2027–28 academic year.

CSS Profile

• Administered by College Board

• Used by participating colleges and scholarship programs for institutional aid

• Only required by certain institutions.

• May ask for more detailed information about a family’s finances

• Opens October 1 each year

• May involve an application fee, although many students qualify for fee waivers

Does My Student Need to Complete Both?

A student applying to several colleges might have a list that looks something like this:

College A: FAFSA only

College B: FAFSA + CSS Profile

College C: FAFSA + CSS Profile + additional financial aid documents

College D: FAFSA + separate scholarship application

This is exactly why families should not assume that completing the FAFSA means the financial aid process is finished. Every college can have its own requirements and deadlines. My advice: Create a spreadsheet for your family with all the particulars.

Pay Attention to Financial Aid Deadlines

One of the biggest mistakes families make is assuming that the college’s application deadline and financial aid deadline are the same. They may not be. Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, merit scholarships, FAFSA, CSS Profile, and priority financial aid deadlines can all differ. College Board specifically advises families to submit the CSS Profile by their earliest priority filing date, and individual colleges establish their own deadlines.

So this week, I recommend creating a simple financial aid checklist for every school:

☐ Does this college require the FAFSA?

☐ Does it require the CSS Profile?

☐ Is there a separate scholarship application?

☐ Are additional financial documents required?

☐ What is the priority financial aid deadline?

☐ Are there separate merit scholarship deadlines?

☐ After submission, is anything else requested through the applicant or financial aid portal?

Financial aid is not something you want to discover was missing after an application deadline has passed. College applications are about more than pressing Submit. Admissions applications, transcripts, recommendations, test scores, financial aid forms, scholarship applications, and applicant portals all work together.

Take them one step at a time.