FAFSA, CSS, and COF Profiles

Every student should complete a FAFSA. Most universities require FAFSA for registration purposes or to receive additional scholarship funds. Remember, the sooner you complete the FAFSA, the more likely you are to receive grants and funding!

Federal Deadline

Online applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time (CT) on June 30.

College Deadlines

Each college or career school might have its own deadline. Check with the schools you’re interested in attending. You might also want to ask your school about its definition of an application deadline, whether it is the date the school receives your FAFSA form or the date your FAFSA form is processed.

The CSS is an online application to determine eligibility for non-federal financial aid, which is administered by the College Board. Not every college requires it, but nearly 400 colleges do.

Unlike the FAFSA, there is a fee to apply. The first application is $25 and reports to additional schools are $16 each.

All schools have their own deadlines in place for the CSS, but many require students to file the profile two weeks before the college's priority admission application deadline.

The College Opportunity Fund or COF, created by the Colorado Legislature, provides a stipend that pays a portion of total in-state tuition for eligible undergraduate students who attend a Colorado public institution or a participating private institution.