CSS Profile only showed 2 of 5 North Carolina universities - need help adding NC State, UNC Charlotte & Appalachian

Not all schools require the CSS Profile! This is actually very normal. The CSS Profile is primarily used by private universities and some selective public institutions that want more detailed financial information than what's on the FAFSA. Wake Forest (private) and UNC Chapel Hill (selective public) require it, but NC State, UNC Charlotte, and Appalachian State likely only need the FAFSA for financial aid consideration. You should check each school's financial aid website to confirm, but you've probably done everything correctly!

THIS IS WHY THE WHOLE FINANCIAL AID SYSTEM IS BROKEN!!! Nobody explains these differences clearly! We went through the same panic last year with my daughter. Spent HOURS trying to figure out why some schools weren't showing up on CSS. The whole system is designed to confuse parents and students. And then they wonder why people miss deadlines or don't complete applications correctly. It's RIDICULOUS!!

The CSS Profile is specifically requested by about 200 mostly private colleges across the country. The College Board (who administers CSS) only shows you schools that both 1) require the CSS Profile AND 2) your student has indicated they're applying to in the system. If you want to double-check which North Carolina schools require CSS, here's the complete list for 2025-2026: - Davidson College - Duke University - Elon University - Guilford College - Johnson C. Smith University - Queens University of Charlotte - Salem College - UNC Chapel Hill - Wake Forest University Notice NC State, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State aren't listed - they only require the FAFSA for aid consideration.

my daughter goes to app state and they never asked for css profile just the fasfa. but make sure u submit all the verification docs that chapel hill and wake forest asked for!! they wont process the finacial aid package without it and then your son wont get any scholarhips or grants just loans

I had a similar situation with my son last year applying to schools in Georgia. I spent THREE DAYS trying to get through to someone at College Board about why some schools weren't showing up. Kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person who explained exactly what everyone here is saying - not all schools require CSS. They've got a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ. Really wish I'd known this sooner before all the stress!

Also, for future reference, you can actually add schools to your CSS Profile after you've submitted it. There's an option to submit a supplement application to add more schools. It costs an additional fee per school though, which is why you should only do this if you confirm the school actually requires the CSS Profile.

waited till last minute to do my daughters css profile last year and was FREAKING OUT about this exact same thing lol. turned out half her schools didnt even need it. check ur email though cause wake forest sent us like a million things to upload for verification and we almost missed the deadline. they wanted like every financial document we'd ever seen 🙄

One important thing to remember is that even though NC State, UNC Charlotte and Appalachian State don't require the CSS Profile, they will need the FAFSA completed for any federal aid, state aid, or institutional scholarships. Make sure your son's FAFSA has been submitted and includes all five schools on his list. The 2025-2026 FAFSA allows you to add up to 20 schools, so you should be able to include all of his choices.

one more thing make sure to check if any of the schools have seperate scholarhip applications!! my daughter almost missed out on a 5k scholarship at app state because we didn't know there was a different form due in february!!

As someone who just went through this process with my twins last fall, I can totally relate to your confusion! The CSS Profile system definitely isn't intuitive about which schools require it versus just FAFSA. One tip that helped me was creating a spreadsheet for each kid with all their schools, deadlines, and required forms (FAFSA, CSS, school-specific scholarships, etc.). It saved me so much stress trying to keep track of what was needed where. Sounds like you're on the right track though - just focus on getting those verification docs submitted for Wake Forest and Chapel Hill on time!

Just wanted to add that you can always double-check which schools require CSS Profile by going directly to the College Board's CSS Profile website and using their "CSS Profile Participating Institutions" search tool. You can filter by state and it will show you exactly which schools in North Carolina (or any state) require it. This was super helpful for me when my daughter was applying to schools across multiple states last year. Also, don't forget that some schools have their own institutional aid applications separate from both FAFSA and CSS Profile - definitely worth checking each school's financial aid page individually to make sure you're not missing anything!

Don't worry, you're definitely not alone in this confusion! I went through the exact same panic with my daughter last year. The CSS Profile system can be really misleading because it only shows schools that actually require it, but there's no clear explanation of why other schools don't appear. Just to echo what others have said - NC State, UNC Charlotte, and Appalachian State only need the FAFSA, which is actually great news because it means less paperwork and fees for you! The CSS Profile costs $25 for the first school and $16 for each additional school, so you're actually saving money. One thing I'd recommend is setting up a simple tracking system (even just a note on your phone) with each school's specific requirements and deadlines. Each university handles their financial aid process a bit differently, and some have their own scholarship applications with separate deadlines that are easy to miss. Good luck with the verification process for Wake Forest and Chapel Hill!

I'm just starting this whole process with my daughter who's a junior, and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea that different schools require different forms beyond just the FAFSA. This is exactly the kind of information I wish someone had explained to us earlier. I'm definitely going to start making a list of all her target schools and research their specific financial aid requirements now rather than waiting until application season. Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so helpful to learn from parents who have already navigated this maze!

I just wanted to say how grateful I am for all the detailed responses here! As someone who's completely new to the CSS Profile process, this thread has been incredibly educational. I had been assuming that all colleges required both FAFSA and CSS Profile, so learning that it's mainly private schools and select public universities has been a huge relief. I'm actually in a similar situation with my daughter who's applying to several schools across different states, and I was getting overwhelmed trying to figure out which forms each school needed. The suggestion about creating a spreadsheet with all requirements and deadlines is something I'm definitely going to implement. It's amazing how much more complex this process is compared to what I expected, but threads like this make it feel much more manageable. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and tips!

This whole thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm dealing with a similar situation with my son who's applying to schools in multiple states, and I was getting so stressed about which forms each school needed. I had no idea that the CSS Profile was primarily for private schools and select public institutions - I thought it was required everywhere like the FAFSA. The fact that you're actually saving money by not having to submit CSS Profile to those other North Carolina schools is a great silver lining! I'm definitely going to use that College Board search tool someone mentioned to double-check all my son's target schools. And that spreadsheet idea with color-coded deadlines sounds genius - I'm setting that up tonight. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and making this whole process feel less overwhelming!

This is exactly the kind of confusion I went through with my oldest daughter two years ago! I was absolutely convinced we had messed something up when only some schools appeared in the CSS Profile. Turns out, like everyone else has mentioned, it's completely normal - the system only shows schools that actually require it. One thing I learned the hard way is to keep a separate checklist for each school's financial aid portal. Even after submitting FAFSA and CSS Profile, some schools have their own verification processes that happen through their student portals. Wake Forest in particular was pretty thorough with their document requests, but their financial aid office was actually really helpful when I called with questions. Also, since you mentioned this is your first time with CSS - don't be surprised if the verification process for Wake Forest and Chapel Hill takes a few weeks to complete. They're pretty thorough about reviewing everything. The good news is that once you get through it this year, you'll be a pro if your son has any younger siblings going through the process later!