Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The CSS Profile is an application for college financial aid required by 300 colleges, universities and scholarship organizations.

Applying to college is an exercise in paperwork: recommendations, essays, the application itself, and the FAFSA — the form that determines whether your student is eligible for federal financial aid.

This financial aid form is the key to non-federal aid at some colleges Greg Daugherty has worked 25+ years as an editor and writer for major publications and websites. He is also the author of two ...