NYU Abu Dhabi · Financial aid · For parents

The CSS Profile, explained for parents

The CSS Profile is the College Board form NYU Abu Dhabi uses to decide need-based financial aid. It belongs to the student's College Board account, but most of the questions are about the family. This guide splits it so the parent never has to ask the student anything mid-form: Part A is the student's, Part B is yours, Part C is the document upload afterwards.

Written by a first-year student for other families, from NYU Abu Dhabi's published instructions (Sept 2026). Not official guidance; the form itself is the authority. About one hour with the papers in front of you.

Part A Student · done first

1. A1

   Sign in and start the application

   At cssprofile.collegeboard.org, sign in (reset the password if needed), choose Start a new application, and select the academic year you are attending.

2. A2

   Add the college

   Search New York University (College Board code 2562) and add it. If "New York University Abu Dhabi" appears as its own entry, choose that instead. One college only.

3. A3

   Fill in every student screen

   Personal details, citizenship, UAE address, year of study, your N-number where a student ID is requested, and your own income and assets (normally 0). Stop when the form reaches the Parent section.

4. A4

   Hand over

   The application saves automatically. Give your parent your College Board login. Nothing else is needed from you until the very last screen, where you sign electronically as the student; that can be done from your phone.

Have these ready before Part B Parent

• Passport or Emirates ID for each parentNames, dates of birth, nationality.
• Proof of each parent's gross income for the income yearEmployer letter on company letterhead stating gross annual income, or the salary certificate, or monthly pay slips for the whole year. A tax return too, if one was filed anywhere.
• An estimate of each parent's income for the current year
• Today's balances of all bank accounts and savingsLatest statements are enough.
• Value of property other than your home, investments, and any business you ownA business or farm adds a few extra questions.
• Household detailsEveryone who lives with you; other children in school or university and the fees you pay for them.
• Large regular expensesMedical costs, support paid to relatives, loan repayments, only if significant.
• A bank card for the US$25 fee

Part B Parent

1. B1

   Sign in with the student's login and open the saved application

   Go to cssprofile.collegeboard.org, sign in with the student's username and password, and click Continue on the application. It opens where the student stopped.

   If the site asks for a verification code by email or SMS, it goes to the student. Text them; they send it back.
2. B2

   Parents and household

   For each parent: name, date of birth, employer, occupation, marital status. Then the household: how many people live in your home and how many are in university. Other children's school or university fees count in the student's favour, so include them.

3. B3

   Income

   Each parent's gross income for the income year in AED: salary before deductions, including housing and other allowances, plus any rent, business or investment income. Then the current-year estimate. If you did not file a tax return, say so; the salary letters are uploaded in Part C.

   Answer every question with a number, even 0. Blank answers are the most common reason a profile is sent back.
4. B4

   Assets, debts and expenses

   Today's bank balances, other property, investments, any business. Then debts and large expenses. Be accurate rather than optimistic in either direction: NYU asks for proof of the income figures, and a big change since the income year is explained separately (last section).

5. B5

   Review, pay, submit

   Read the summary. You certify the parent information. Pay US$25 by card. The last screen asks for the student's electronic signature: call them, they sign from their phone, and you submit. Screenshot the confirmation page: it shows the CBFinAid ID.

   Keep the CBFinAid ID. It is the login for the document upload site in Part C.

Part C Parent · a few days later

1. C1

   Wait for NYU's document request

   Within a few days NYU emails the student a request for supporting documents through the College Board upload site, IDOC. It contains two NYU forms to fill in and sign: the NYU CSS Profile Verification Cover Page and the NYU Earner Income Form (one per working parent).

2. C2

   Upload at IDOC

   Go to pages.collegeboard.org/idoc, sign in with the CBFinAid ID, and upload clear photos or PDFs of:

   • The signed Verification Cover Page
   • The Earner Income Form for each working parent
   • Income proof for each earner: the employer letter on letterhead stating gross annual income, or the salary certificate or monthly pay statements for the whole income year. A tax return, if one was filed, translated into English.
3. C3

   Done when the hold disappears

   Once NYU Abu Dhabi has processed everything, any "College Board Profile Required" hold leaves the student's Albert account and the aid decision follows by email. If the hold is still there two weeks after the upload, email the office below quoting the student's N-number.

Which figure goes where

If something is wrong or has changed

If the family's income has dropped substantially since the income year, or there is an expense the form had no room for, NYU Abu Dhabi asks families to write to its financial aid office with supporting documents rather than adjusting the numbers in the form. Note that NYUAD's public policy is that aid is set at admission and normally renewed at the same level; families applying later should ask the office what is possible.