Among the 13 schools checked this session, CSS Profile deadlines for Fall 2027 applicants run from November 1, 2026 (Harvard's and Vanderbilt's early rounds) to March 1, 2027 (the University of Virginia's single deadline for every applicant, regardless of admission type) -- and Princeton doesn't use the CSS Profile at all. What the CSS Profile actually asks for and who has to file it is one question; when each specific school wants it back is a completely different one, and the two get conflated constantly. Here are the real dates, by school, not a generic "check in the fall" reminder.
CSS Profile deadlines by school, from earliest to latest
| School | Early round (ED/EA/REA) | Regular Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Nov 1, 2026 (Restrictive EA) | Feb 1, 2027 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nov 1, 2026 (ED I) | Feb 1, 2027 |
| Duke University | Nov 3, 2026 (ED) | Feb 1, 2027 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Nov 6, 2026 (ED) | Feb 5, 2027 |
| Yale University | Nov 1, 2026 US / Dec 1, 2026 international (EA) | not independently confirmed |
| Princeton University | Nov 9, 2026 (EA) -- PFAA, not CSS Profile | Feb 1, 2027 -- PFAA, not CSS Profile |
| Columbia University | Nov 15, 2026 (ED) | Feb 15, 2027 |
| Cornell University | Nov 15, 2026 (ED, US) | Feb 15, 2027 |
| University of Notre Dame | Nov 15, 2026 (Restrictive EA) | Jan 15, 2027 |
| Vanderbilt University | Jan 1, 2027 (ED II) | -- |
| MIT | Nov 30, 2026 (EA) | Feb 15, 2027 |
| Northwestern University | Dec 1, 2026 (ED) | Feb 1, 2027 |
| Georgetown University | Feb 1, 2027 -- one date for every first-year/transfer applicant, early or regular | Feb 1, 2027 |
| University of Virginia | Mar 1, 2027 -- one date for every applicant, regardless of admission type | Mar 1, 2027 |
Vanderbilt appears twice because it runs two binding early rounds (ED I and ED II) with two separate CSS Profile dates -- see the real ED2 deadlines by school if you're tracking that second round specifically, not just the CSS Profile that goes with it.
Two genuinely different structures: a date per round, or one date for everyone
Most schools on this list set a separate, earlier CSS Profile deadline for their binding or restrictive early round and a later one for Regular Decision -- the same two-tier shape their admissions deadlines follow. But two schools checked this session don't: Georgetown and UVA both ask every applicant for the CSS Profile by one single date, regardless of whether you applied early or regular. At Georgetown that date is February 1, and the school's own financial aid office describes it as a recommendation rather than a hard cutoff -- filing late doesn't disqualify you, it just risks a slower award. At UVA it's March 1, the latest date on this list by a wide margin.
The one real exception: Princeton doesn't use the CSS Profile
Every other school here requires the College Board's CSS Profile. Princeton doesn't -- it uses its own Princeton Financial Aid Application (PFAA) instead, due the same way on the same rough calendar (November 9 for its Early Action round, February 1 for Regular Decision, per Princeton's own financial aid site). If Princeton is on your list, don't file a CSS Profile for it at all; filing the PFAA is the actual step, and a CSS Profile fee paid to send a report there would be wasted money.
Why "check the 2026-27 deadline" and "check the 2027-28 deadline" can both be right
Schools don't agree on what to call the cycle a student applying right now, for Fall 2027 entry, is actually in. Some financial aid offices label this cycle's CSS Profile "2026-27" (the academic year the form covers); others label the identical form "2027-28" (the year the student will actually enroll). Both labels can point at the exact same November 2026-through-March 2027 filing window. That's exactly why every date above is anchored to a calendar date and an entering class, not a label -- if a school's own page uses a year-label that doesn't match what's listed here, check the actual month and day before assuming the page is wrong.
What this means for you
- File by your earliest applicable date, not a generic "the CSS Profile opens October 1" assumption. The form opening and your specific school's deadline are two different dates, and the deadline is what actually matters.
- If a school isn't listed here, don't assume it follows the same pattern as a similar-looking school. Check that school's own financial aid page directly, or confirm with its admissions office -- the Georgetown/UVA single-date exception above is proof narrow assumptions break.
- Princeton applicants specifically: confirm you're filing the PFAA, not the CSS Profile, before you pay a CSS Profile fee for a school that doesn't use it.
- A missed CSS Profile deadline doesn't usually cost you admission -- it's a financial aid form, evaluated separately from your application -- but it can mean a smaller or later institutional aid offer at a school that awards on a limited-funds basis. See what the CSS Profile asks for and the fee-waiver thresholds if you haven't filed one before.
- Filing the FAFSA runs on the same clock at most of these schools. Here's how to actually fill it out for this cycle if you haven't started yet.
Sources
Every deadline above was checked this session directly against the school's own financial aid office page, not a third-party aggregator:
- Harvard College Financial Aid -- Prospective Students
- Vanderbilt University Office of Student Financial Aid -- Deadlines
- Duke University Financial Aid -- Apply for Aid
- University of Pennsylvania Student Registration & Financial Services -- Prospective U.S. Checklist
- Yale Office of Undergraduate Financial Aid -- Prospective Students
- Princeton University Financial Aid -- Apply for Aid: Prospective Students
- Columbia University Financial Aid -- CSS Profile (RD, Domestic)
- Cornell University Office of Financial Aid -- First-Year and Transfer Students, U.S.
- University of Notre Dame Office of Financial Aid -- First-Year Applicants
- MIT Student Financial Services -- Aid Deadlines and Process
- Northwestern University Undergraduate Financial Aid -- Application Deadlines
- Georgetown University Office of Student Financial Services -- First Year and Transfer Undergraduate
- University of Virginia Student Financial Services -- How to Apply for Financial Aid: First-Year Applicants