CSS Profile deadlines for fall 2027, college by college

What the CSS Profile is

The CSS Profile is a financial aid form run by College Board. Many private colleges and some scholarship programs use it, on top of the FAFSA, to work out how much of their own money to give you. It asks more than the FAFSA does, so set aside an evening or two, and fill it out with a parent.

For fall 2027 entry you need the 2027-28 CSS Profile. College Board's site labels it "Fall 2027/Spring 2028."

It costs $25 for the first college and $16 for each one after that.

It's free if you're a domestic undergraduate applicant and any of these is true:

• your family's adjusted gross income is under $100,000;
• you qualified for an SAT fee waiver (sign in with the same College Board account you used for the SAT);
• you're an orphan or a ward of the court under 24.

The waiver is applied automatically as you fill out the form. Some colleges run their own waiver programs too.

Not every college uses the CSS Profile. Each college's aid page lists the forms it wants, so check before you pay.

Financial aid deadlines we checked

These are the dates each college lists for its first-year aid application for fall 2027. We read them on the college's own site on 5 November 2026. Where the college names the CSS Profile in the deadline itself, we say so. Otherwise the table says "aid forms," and the college's aid page lists which forms count.

Still ahead in November and early December

Already passed for early rounds

Bucknell (CSS Profile and FAFSA, Nov 1), Boston University (CSS Profile and FAFSA, Nov 2), Lehigh (CSS Profile, Nov 1 for ED I), Colgate (Nov 1), Colorado College (Nov 1), USC (Nov 1), Villanova (priority, Nov 1) and Minerva (Early Action aid, Nov 8). If you applied early to one of these and haven't sent your aid forms, email the aid office today.

Reed extended its ED I and Early Action application deadline to Sunday, November 15, but its aid page still lists November 1 for those rounds. Confirm on the college's site.

January and February

Lehigh has the simplest version of the rule: its CSS Profile is due on whichever application deadline you choose.

For any college not listed here, confirm on the college's site. Smith and Wesleyan both list aid dates for 2027-28, but we couldn't tie their application dates to this cycle, so check both pages yourself.

How not to miss it

1. Make the CSS account now, even if your applications aren't finished. Use the same College Board login you used for the SAT, so a fee waiver can apply.
2. Gather the papers first: your parents' 2025 tax return, W-2s, and recent bank and investment balances. Colleges base 2027-28 aid on the 2025 tax year (Holy Cross says so on its aid page).
3. Put every aid deadline on your calendar next to the application deadline. The planner builds your deadline list and exports it to your calendar. It runs in your browser and asks for no account.
4. If your parents are divorced or separated, start early. Some CSS colleges ask about both parents, and that part takes longest.
5. Applying ED? Get the aid estimate before you commit. ED is binding, so the money question needs an answer first. Run each college's net price calculator now.

If your list includes test-required colleges, the SAT/ACT guide covers which ones.