CSS Profile for a Noncustodial Parent: Who Files, How, and What If a Parent Can't
Does a noncustodial parent have to fill out the CSS Profile? Only if a college on the student's list asks for it, and many do. When one does, the noncustodial parent files a second, separate CSS Profile from their own College Board account, while the custodial parent's information goes into the student's application.
Each parent completes their own application. College Board says noncustodial parents complete their information separately, and the data goes confidentially to the colleges the student selected. Everything below is for the 2027-28 aid year, as of October 1, 2026.
Who counts as the noncustodial parent?
College Board's FAQ describes the noncustodial parent as the parent who does not provide the majority of the student's financial support. Typically, the parent who provides more than half of the support is the primary custodial parent, or the parent the student lives with.
If support is split evenly between households, the application says to select the parent with the higher income and assets. Only one parent can say they provide more than half. For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the parent who completed or will complete the FAFSA should be the same parent chosen on the CSS Profile.
Stepparents and parents' domestic partners are listed too. All parents, stepparents and parents' domestic partners go in the Parental Relationships section, and the application then lets you choose whose financial information to include.
Which colleges ask the noncustodial parent to file?
It depends on the college, and College Board's 2027-28 list has a Noncustodial Parents column for exactly this. By our count of the list, 194 of the 261 entries show Yes and 67 show No, so many but not all. The entries include graduate and scholarship programs as well as colleges.
Per the College Board 2027-28 list, Harvard College and Duke University show Yes, and Vanderbilt University and Centre College show No. A college's own words matter more than the list: Georgetown's aid office says the noncustodial parent "is also required to complete a separate CSS Profile." Confirm on each college's aid page, because requirements can change from year to year.
Step by step: who does what, and in what order?
Three people are involved, and two College Board accounts.
| Person | What they do | Which College Board account | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student | Creates the account, enters the student sections, picks colleges, submits | The student's own account | $25 for the first college and $16 for each additional, unless a fee waiver applies |
| Custodial parent | Provides parent information inside the student's application | The student's account; custodial parents should not create their own | No separate application |
| Noncustodial parent, if a college asks | Files a second CSS Profile with their own information | A new account in the parent's own name | Free if family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000; otherwise the standard fees |
Then the steps, in order:
- The student creates or signs in to their own College Board account and completes the student sections.
- The custodial parent uses the student's account and, in most cases, does not create one of their own.
- The noncustodial parent goes to the CSS Profile home page, selects "Sign In to," then selects "Create Account" under "Don't have an account?" They create it with their own information, not the student's.
- The noncustodial parent starts their own CSS Profile. At Caltech, for example, a noncustodial parent can begin at any time but cannot submit until the student has submitted theirs.
- Student sections get the student's information and parent sections get the parent's. College Board says one of the most common mistakes is answering "Student Status" questions for the parent instead of the student.
- The student's name, date of birth and Social Security number must be typed exactly the same on both applications. If not, College Board warns, the two applications will not be properly linked when sent to schools, which can cause delays.
- A CSS Profile is shared only with the institutions selected in that application, so the noncustodial parent adds the colleges that ask for a second profile.
- The noncustodial parent submits and, where a college asks, uploads documents through College Board's IDOC service.
Keep close at hand the most recent tax returns, W-2 forms and other records of current-year income, records of untaxed income and benefits, assets, and bank statements, which College Board lists on its getting started page.
What if the noncustodial parent can't or won't take part?
Ask each college, and use College Board's Waiver Request for the Noncustodial Parent if it fits. The college decides. Each college looks at the request and decides whether to waive the requirement, and some colleges have their own form.
| Situation | What College Board says | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Parents divorced or separated | Some colleges require both parents to complete separate applications | Check the college's aid page and the 2027-28 list column |
| No contact with the noncustodial parent | A waiver request is available to submit to colleges; each college decides | Contact each college's aid office; some have their own form |
| A parent refuses to complete it | Listed on the waiver form as "usually not considered" | Contact each college's aid office |
| Divorce decree says a parent is not responsible for education costs | Also listed as "usually not considered" | Contact each college's aid office |
| Stepparent or parent's partner | List them in Parental Relationships, then choose whose financial information goes on the application | Follow each college's instructions |
The waiver form begins by noting that aid eligibility rests on demonstrated financial need, not on a parent's willingness to pay, and then says some institutions recognize that every family is different and want to understand your circumstances. Requests that may be considered include no contact or support ever received from the noncustodial parent, legal orders that limit the parent's contact with the student, and abuse situations involving the student and the parent. The form asks for documentation such as court documents or a letter from a counselor, social worker, teacher or clergy member with first-hand knowledge, and it says that submitting a request does not mean the waiver will be approved.
For a situation involving safety, the school counselor is a good first call alongside each college's aid office.
What does it cost, and are there fee waivers?
The noncustodial parent's CSS Profile is free for undergraduate students' noncustodial parents living in the U.S. if family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000 (College Board's fee waivers page says "up to" and its FAQ says "under," so check both if you are at the line).
Otherwise the fee is $25 for the first institution and $16 for each additional one, as of October 1, 2026.
Who sees the noncustodial parent's information?
The CSS Profile is shared only with the institutions the student selects, and the noncustodial parent's data is transmitted confidentially, according to College Board. Two colleges describe their handling. Caltech says noncustodial parent information is kept separate from the rest of the financial aid application and is not made available to the custodial parent. Georgetown says information on the noncustodial parent's application stays separate and confidential from the custodial parent.
What a college does with both households' information is its own call. Vassar's aid office, for example, says the CSS Profile considers both custodial and noncustodial household information.
Do you also include a noncustodial parent on the FAFSA?
No. The FAFSA uses one parent. The 2027-28 FAFSA form asks for the parent who provides the greater portion of the student's financial support, even if the student does not live with that parent. If that parent is remarried, the form's Parent Spouse or Partner section applies too.
If a student also needs the federal form, Rapunzl's FAFSA Helper walks through it in English and Spanish and sends the family to StudentAid.gov to submit; it does not cover the CSS Profile. The student's side of the FAFSA walkthrough covers the form step by step.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Only if a college requires it. College Board says some colleges require both the custodial and the noncustodial parent to complete separate applications. The 2027-28 list column and the college's own aid page show which.
Go to the CSS Profile home page, select "Sign In to," then select "Create Account" under "Don't have an account?" Use your own information, not your student's, and answer student sections with the student's details and parent sections with yours.
College Board's waiver form lists a parent's refusal as "usually not considered," so the next step is a conversation with each college's aid office. The college decides, and the form says a submitted request may still be denied.
No. The FAFSA asks about the parent who provides the greater portion of the student's financial support, even if the student does not live with that parent.
Noncustodial parents complete their information separately, and it is sent confidentially to the selected colleges. Caltech and Georgetown both say the information is kept separate from the custodial parent.
It is free if family adjusted gross income is up to $100,000. Otherwise the fee is $25 for the first college and $16 for each additional one, as of October 1, 2026.
Your student's school may already teach this, or it may not. Request a Rapunzl demo for your student's school to see what a classroom program on paying for college looks like.
By Nate Thomas, School Partnerships Lead at Rapunzl.