CSS Profile
The CSS Profile is the financial aid application used by most selective private US universities to determine institutional need-based aid, including for international students.
Key Facts
- • Run by the College Board, not the US federal government.
- • Used by ~240 colleges for institutional aid, including most Ivy League and top private schools.
- • Asks far more detailed questions than FAFSA — home equity, non-custodial parent income, and more.
- • International students cannot file FAFSA; CSS Profile is their main financial-aid submission.
- • Filing fee is $25 for the first school, $16 for each additional school; fee waivers available for some families.
Why it matters for Korean families
FAFSA, the federal financial aid form most US students file, cannot be filed by international students. If a Korean student needs financial aid from a US private university, the CSS Profile is almost always the form they submit instead.
The CSS Profile asks for a much fuller picture of family finances than FAFSA: both parents' income even if divorced, home equity, retirement accounts, small business ownership, and other assets. The school then uses its own formula (not the federal formula) to decide how much need-based aid to offer.
Who uses it
Roughly 240 US colleges use the CSS Profile for institutional aid, including most of the Ivy League, MIT, Stanford, top liberal arts colleges, and many other private universities. Public universities rarely require it.
Realistic expectations
Only six US universities are truly need-blind for international students: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Amherst, and Bowdoin. These schools make admissions decisions without considering whether you need financial aid. Every other US university is need-aware for internationals — meaning they can and do factor your ability to pay into the admit decision.
This is the single most important thing for Korean families to understand before applying. CSS Profile submission is required, but the financial-aid outcome depends heavily on which specific schools you target.
Reviewed by Sprint Admissions Team · Updated April 2026
Related terms
FAFSA
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the US government form used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid — but it cannot be filed by international students.
Need-Blind Admission
Need-blind admission means the college makes its admit decision without considering whether the applicant will need financial aid — for domestic students, at many US universities, and for international students, at only six.
International Financial Aid
International financial aid is the institutional need-based and merit-based funding US universities provide to non-US-citizen applicants, which differs significantly from aid available to domestic students.