The 2024-2025 FAFSA is now live. Learn more about FAFSA Simplification changes, what you can expect, and the current timeline.
Carnegie Mellon will not begin receiving FAFSA records from Federal Student Aid until sometime in March. Therefore, if you have questions about your FAFSA, please contact Federal Student Aid directly.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Students applying for federal financial aid programs must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. We recommend visiting the Federal Student Aid website to learn about filing your FAFSA and for timely updates.
Carnegie Mellon requests that students and families submit the FAFSA as soon as possible once it opens. This will allow us time to request any additional documentation, if needed, and it will support the timely delivery of financial aid offers.
NEW FOR 2024-2025: Students and contributors (typically parents, for dependent students; and spouses for independent students) will need to create an FSA ID and provide approval for their Federal Tax Information (FTI) to be utilized for their FAFSA to be processed. Those who don't already have an FSA ID may create one. Learn about more changes for 2024-2025.
CSS Profile
The CSS Profile is required if applying for institutional financial aid programs. Complete the CSS Profile online at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org. If you do not have a College Board account, you will need to create one in order to complete your CSS Profile application. Carnegie Mellon receives your data electronically from CSS, so there is no need to send copies. The CSS Profile is not required if applying only for federal financial aid.
Submitting the CSS Profile costs $25 for the first submission and $16 for each additional submission. If this fee creates a barrier to submitting the CSS Profile, please contact The HUB to request a fee waiver.
Noncustodial Parents
In the case of divorced or separated parents, the noncustodial parent will complete an additional CSS Profile application using different College Board accounts/log-in credentials. For more information, see Info for Divorced and Separated Parents. The noncustodial parent will be charged a $25 fee regardless of the number of colleges requiring the information. Noncustodial parent 1040's or other tax information is not required.