Which colleges require the CSS Profile?
School-by-school filing rules for institutional financial aid. Check who must file, the correct CSS code, priority deadlines, and what each college asks parents to submit. Each school shows its latest published cycle.
Harvard
CSS code: 34342026–27
Harvard requires the CSS Profile for its own need-based aid and uses CSS code 3434. FAFSA alone is enough only when a student wants federal aid without Harvard grant aid.
See requirementsStanford
CSS code: 47042026–27
Stanford requires the CSS Profile for institutional scholarship consideration and uses CSS code 4704. Students seeking only federal or state aid do not need the CSS Profile.
See requirementsNYU
CSS code: 27852026–27
NYU requires the CSS Profile from first-year students applying for NYU scholarship aid and uses CSS code 2785. The FAFSA does not replace it for institutional aid.
See requirementsPrinceton
CSS code: None2026–27
Princeton does not accept or require the CSS Profile, so it has no CSS Profile school code. Use the Princeton Financial Aid Application and Princeton's own document upload instead.
See requirementsBoston University
CSS code: 30872026–27
Boston University requires the CSS Profile for first-year applicants seeking BU need-based aid and uses undergraduate CSS code 3087. Its medical school has a different code.
See requirementsYale
CSS code: 39872027–28
Yale uses the CSS Profile for institutional need-based aid and its CSS code is 3987. International applicants should wait for Yale's specific instructions because their required forms can differ.
See requirementsColumbia
CSS code: 21162026–27
Columbia requires the CSS Profile for Columbia University Grant consideration and uses CSS code 2116 for both Columbia College and undergraduate Engineering. Choosing another Columbia code can delay the file.
See requirementsPenn
CSS code: 29332026–27
Penn requires the CSS Profile for undergraduate need-based aid and uses CSS code 2933. Unlike many CSS schools, Penn does not use IDOC, so tax documents go directly to Student Financial Aid.
See requirementsDuke
CSS code: 51562026–27
Duke requires the CSS Profile for institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 5156. Additional tax documents are not automatic for everyone; Duke requests them through the applicant checklist when needed.
See requirementsNorthwestern
CSS code: 15652026–27
Northwestern requires the CSS Profile for institutional aid and uses CSS code 1565. Domestic tax materials go through IDOC, while the international document route is different.
See requirementsMIT
CSS code: 35142027–28
MIT requires the CSS Profile for MIT Scholarship consideration and uses CSS code 3514. The requirement applies to domestic and international aid applicants, while only eligible domestic students add the FAFSA.
See requirementsBrown
CSS code: 31892027–28
Brown requires the CSS Profile for institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 3189. Its IDOC process is request-based, so a family that receives no IDOC message should not send an unrequested packet.
See requirementsCornell
CSS code: 20982026–27
Cornell requires the CSS Profile for Cornell grant and scholarship aid and uses CSS code 2098. Its current public first-year calendar still shows the 2026–27 cycle, so applicants should watch for Cornell's next update.
See requirementsUChicago
CSS code: None2026–27
UChicago does not accept the CSS Profile and therefore has no CSS Profile code. Applicants use the UChicago Financial Aid Worksheet and the university's own secure document upload for institutional aid.
See requirementsVanderbilt
CSS code: 18712027–28
Vanderbilt requires the CSS Profile for domestic applicants seeking university need-based aid and uses CSS code 1871. Unlike many CSS schools, it does not automatically ask every noncustodial parent for a separate application.
See requirementsUSC
CSS code: 48522027–28
USC requires the CSS Profile for domestic applicants seeking university need-based aid and uses CSS code 4852. It does not use IDOC, so requested documents belong in USC's FAST portal.
See requirementsJohns Hopkins
CSS code: 53322026–27
Johns Hopkins requires the CSS Profile for institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 5332. Hopkins requests IDOC records only when needed and offers a free alternative form to international applicants who cannot complete CSS.
See requirementsDartmouth
CSS code: 33512026–27
Dartmouth requires the CSS Profile for need-based aid and uses CSS code 3351. Its supporting-document route changes with citizenship and parent location, so applicants should not assume every family uses IDOC.
See requirementsGeorgetown
CSS code: 52442026–27
Georgetown requires the CSS Profile for Georgetown University Scholarship consideration and uses CSS code 5244. First-year and transfer applicants share a February 1 priority deadline.
See requirementsCarnegie Mellon
CSS code: 20742026–27
Carnegie Mellon requires the CSS Profile for its institutional financial aid and uses CSS code 2074. The form is not required for federal-only aid, and the published admission deadlines are preferred rather than absolute cutoffs.
See requirementsRice
CSS code: 66092026–27
Rice requires the CSS Profile for domestic first-year applicants seeking university need-based aid and uses CSS code 6609. Its current published deadlines cover the 2026–27 application cycle.
See requirementsEmory
CSS code: 51872027–28
Emory requires the CSS Profile for Emory-funded need-based grant consideration and uses CSS code 5187. Its published dates pair the Profile and IDOC materials under the same deadline for each first-year admission plan.
See requirementsTufts
CSS code: 39012027–28
Tufts requires the CSS Profile for institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 3901. Its 2027–28 calendar separates the Profile deadline from the later IDOC tax-document deadline for each admission plan.
See requirementsNotre Dame
CSS code: 18412027–28
Notre Dame requires the CSS Profile for first-year need-based aid applicants and uses CSS code 1841. Its November and January dates are priority dates, so a later complete application can still be considered but may delay the aid offer.
See requirementsWashU
CSS code: 69292027–28
WashU requires the CSS Profile for first-year applicants seeking university-funded need-based aid and uses CSS code 6929. Its 2027–28 deadlines include the CSS Profile, FAFSA, and noncustodial-parent statement when applicable.
See requirementsBoston College
CSS code: 30832026–27
Boston College requires the CSS Profile for prospective students seeking institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 3083. Its 2026–27 checklist sends all supporting financial documents through IDOC.
See requirementsNortheastern
CSS code: 36672026–27
Northeastern requires the CSS Profile for first-year and transfer applicants seeking institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 3667. Its current public guidance says priority dates vary by applicant type rather than publishing one universal deadline.
See requirementsWake Forest
CSS code: 58852026–27
Wake Forest requires the CSS Profile for its need-based scholarship funds and uses CSS code 5885. Federal-only applicants can skip the Profile and IDOC steps after telling the aid office that they want only federal aid.
See requirementsTulane
CSS code: 68322026–27
Tulane requires the CSS Profile for institutional need-based scholarship consideration and uses CSS code 6832. Unlike many CSS schools, Tulane routes supporting tax documents directly to its own secure upload instead of IDOC.
See requirementsRochester
CSS code: 29282027–28
The University of Rochester requires the CSS Profile for university need-based grant consideration and uses CSS code 2928. Its 2027–28 page publishes separate deadlines by admission plan and distinguishes the university code from Eastman's.
See requirementsVillanova
CSS code: 29592026–27
Villanova requires the CSS Profile for institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 2959. Its 2026–27 calendar pairs the early plans with November 1 and the later first-year plans with January 15.
See requirementsGeorge Washington
CSS code: 52462026–27
George Washington requires the CSS Profile for new undergraduates seeking its need-based grants and scholarships and uses CSS code 5246. The school publishes separate priority dates for both first-year plans and transfer entry terms.
See requirementsWilliams
CSS code: 39652026–27
Williams requires the CSS Profile for non-federal aid and uses CSS code 3965. Its current instructions make the unusual distinction that the FAFSA is not an initial 2026–27 requirement, though it may be requested after enrollment.
See requirementsPomona
CSS code: 46072026–27
Pomona requires the CSS Profile for domestic undergraduates seeking institutional aid and uses CSS code 4607. Its guidance gives applicants concrete IDOC timing and publishes distinct dates for QuestBridge, Posse, admission plans, and transfers.
See requirementsLehigh
CSS code: 23652026–27
Lehigh requires the CSS Profile for institutional need-based aid and uses CSS code 2365. Its main process difference is document routing: tax materials go to Lehigh's secure upload center because the university does not use IDOC.
See requirementsFordham
CSS code: 22592027–28
Fordham requires the CSS Profile for university grants and scholarships and uses CSS code 2259. Federal-only applicants can skip it, while first-year Profile deadlines vary by admission plan and citizenship.
See requirementsMiddlebury
CSS code: 35262027–28
Middlebury requires the CSS Profile for its need-based college funding and uses CSS code 3526. Its 2027–28 calendar publishes separate dates for QuestBridge, Posse, both early plans, regular decision, and transfers.
See requirementsWellesley
CSS code: 39572026–27
Wellesley requires the CSS Profile for college grant aid and uses CSS code 3957. Its process sends income records through IDOC while directing applicants to trust the MyWellesley checklist for outstanding requirements.
See requirementsWesleyan
CSS code: 39592026–27
Wesleyan requires the CSS Profile for non-federal institutional aid and uses CSS code 3959. Its 2026–27 guidance distinguishes the Profile from the FAFSA and publishes an unusually early November 15 renewal deadline.
See requirementsBowdoin
CSS code: 30892026–27
Bowdoin requires the CSS Profile for college-funded aid and uses CSS code 3089. Its 2026–27 instructions separate citizenship-specific FAFSA rules while routing all tax and supporting documents through IDOC.
See requirementsCSS Profile and FAFSA are not interchangeable
The FAFSA determines eligibility for federal student aid. Colleges use the CSS Profile, or an application of their own, to award institutional grants and scholarships. A school can require both. Filing only the FAFSA can leave school-funded aid on the table even when your federal application is complete.
Every entry links to the college's own financial-aid guidance and shows the date we checked it. The current directory currently spans 2026–27 and 2027–28 because colleges publish new cycles on different schedules. Schools can change forms and deadlines, so confirm the final checklist in your applicant portal.