The College Scholarship  
Service (CSS) Profile
About 400 colleges and scholarship programs  
require applicants to fill out the CSS Profile  
in addition to the FAFSA.
•To determine if your school requires the CSS  
Profile, to access a copy of the profile, and for tips 
on filing, visit cssprofile.collegeboard.org.
•Once submitted, the College Board will send your 
profile to the schools and scholarship programs  
you list.
•The cost for sending your report to one school or 
program is $25. Additional reports cost $16 each. 
Fee waivers are available if you meet income  
eligibility requirements. The College Board will  
notify you if you qualify for a fee waiver after  
you complete the application.
Your Financial Aid Package
Understand Your Financial Aid Package 
Meet Nejemiah Lewis, a hypothetical student who will  
be attending Heights University, a fictitious state-related  
university in Pennsylvania.
The total cost for Nejemiah’s first year at Heights  
University is $42,000, calculated as follows:
        Tuition and Fees:	
$22,000
        Room and Board:	
$12,000
        Books and Supplies:	
$3,000
        Personal Expenses:	
$5,000
        TOTAL COST OF ATTENDANCE:	
$42,000
Nejemiah filed his FAFSA in December 2026, and  
he received notice of his financial aid package from 
Heights University in March 2027.
Review Nejemiah’s financial aid award letter and the  
accompanying notes on p. 49 to become familiar  
with how the components of a financial aid package  
fit together.
Compare Your Financial Aid Packages 
From each college to which you are accepted, you  
will receive a financial aid award letter similar to  
the letter Nejemiah received from Heights University.  
Your financial aid award letter can be accessed on  
your college portal and may also arrive in the mail. 
Each financial aid package you are offered will be 
unique and will likely include a combination of grants, 
loans, Federal Work-Study, and scholarships. Use  
the College Cost Calculator on p. 50 to compare  
the costs of attending the schools to which you  
were accepted and the financial aid offered by each  
school. By making this comparison you will identify  
the school that is the best financial fit for you.
48
 
Graduating “On Time” 
The average time to obtain a college degree is longer 
than four years. While it is true that the least expensive 
way to get a degree is to finish in four years or less, there 
is some funding available during a fifth or sixth year of 
college. Pell Grants can be used for up to 12 semesters; 
institutional financial aid varies, but will often be granted 
for a fifth year if needed.
Pathways  
 to  Prosperity
Temple University
Swarthmore College

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.