Does Stanford Require the CSS Profile?

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.

CSS Profile

Required

First-year applicants seeking Stanford need-based institutional scholarships submit the CSS Profile and IDOC. U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens also submit the FAFSA.

CSS school code

4704

Stanford's CSS Profile code is 4704. Use that code to send the form to Stanford University.

Published financial aid deadlines

Restrictive Early ActionNovember 15

Regular DecisionFebruary 15

TransferMarch 15

These are the school's currently published 2026–27 dates. A late or updated application cycle can use different dates, so confirm the deadline shown in your applicant portal.

Which parent files?

If parents are divorced, separated, or were never married, each parent provides CSS Profile information with separate login credentials. Applicants without contact with a noncustodial parent may request a waiver through IDOC.

Documents and next steps

IDOC instructions arrive after the CSS Profile is filed. Stanford's 2026–27 checklist asks for 2024 parent tax returns, schedules, W-2s, and other earnings statements; separate parents submit documents separately.

Official sources for this answer

Stanford Financial Aid Office (checked August 2, 2026)
Stanford regular decision aid checklist (checked August 2, 2026)

Common questions

Does Stanford require the CSS Profile?

Yes. 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.

What is Stanford's CSS Profile code?

Stanford's CSS Profile code is 4704. Use that code to send the form to Stanford University.

When is Stanford's financial aid deadline?

Restrictive Early Action: November 15; Regular Decision: February 15; Transfer: March 15.

Is the FAFSA enough for Stanford?

Not for Stanford's institutional aid. Eligible students should file the FAFSA for federal aid, but Stanford uses the CSS Profile separately to evaluate its own need-based funding.

Estimate the rest of your aid

The CSS Profile does not tell you what federal aid you may receive. Estimate that separately, then compare the result with each college's net price and your outside scholarship options.

FAFSA estimator Net price calculator Find scholarships

Other colleges

Harvard NYU Princeton Boston University Yale Columbia Penn Duke Northwestern MIT Brown Cornell UChicago Vanderbilt USC Johns Hopkins Dartmouth Georgetown Carnegie Mellon Rice Emory Tufts Notre Dame WashU Boston College Northeastern Wake Forest Tulane Rochester Villanova George Washington Williams Pomona Lehigh Fordham Middlebury Wellesley Wesleyan Bowdoin Case Western Reserve Vassar Colgate Claremont McKenna Hamilton Barnard Kenyon Bates Smith Bryn Mawr Haverford Swarthmore Reed Syracuse Miami Amherst American Caltech Brandeis Babson Bucknell Davidson Colby Grinnell Macalester Denison Washington and Lee UVA Michigan William & Mary Santa Clara Richmond UCLA UC Berkeley Georgia Tech UT Austin University of Washington UNC-Chapel Hill University of Florida Purdue Ohio State University of Maryland Penn State UIUC Wisconsin–Madison Texas A&M Rutgers Michigan State IU Bloomington University of Georgia NC State Virginia Tech Arizona State University of Arizona University of Minnesota CU Boulder University of Oregon UConn UMass Amherst University of Pittsburgh Temple Stony Brook Clemson University of South Carolina Auburn University of Alabama UT Knoxville Florida State UCF USF FIU Florida Atlantic University of Kentucky LSU Ole Miss Mississippi State University of Arkansas University of Oklahoma Oklahoma State University of Kansas Kansas State Mizzou University of Iowa Iowa State Nebraska–Lincoln University of Denver Colorado State BYU University of Utah University of New Mexico UNLV Colorado College SMU TCU University of Houston Texas Tech Texas State UT Dallas UT San Antonio UT Arlington UNT UTEP UNC Charlotte East Carolina App State UNCW UNC Greensboro San Diego State Cal State Long Beach Cal State Fullerton San José State Cal Poly San Luis Obispo UC San Diego UC Irvine UC Davis UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz Cal State Northridge Sacramento State Fresno State Cal Poly Pomona San Francisco State Cal State LA Cal State San Bernardino Cal State Dominguez Hills Cal State San Marcos Chico State All schools