When does the FAFSA open, and how to file it early
The single most valuable thing a senior family can do this fall is file the FAFSA the week it opens. Some of the biggest aid is first come, first served, so early filers get money that late filers never see. Here is exactly when the form opens for the 2027-28 school year, what changed, and a short checklist to do it fast and right.
The short answer
The U.S. Department of Education has confirmed the 2027-28 FAFSA will launch by October 1, 2026. That is the form for students starting college in fall 2027, which is this year's high school seniors, the Class of 2027. It is federal law: the form must be certified by September 1 and available by October 1 each year. Through the late summer of 2026 the Department is running a public beta, and the full release follows by that October 1 statutory deadline, which is the Department's deadline to publish, not yours to file.
Do not wait past the opening. Several kinds of aid, including some state grants and a share of each college's own money, are awarded until the pool runs out. Filing in October instead of February can be the difference between a grant and a "sorry, funds exhausted."
The 2027-28 timeline, in plain terms
- Late summer 2026: the Department opens a public beta. Any student or parent can ask to test the form on studentaid.gov. Beta submissions can count, but the beta is for finding bugs, not the moment most families should file.
- By October 1, 2026: the full 2027-28 FAFSA is available to everyone. This is when to file.
- Your state deadline: varies, and several states award aid first come, first served. Find yours on the official state deadline list before you assume you have until spring.
- Each college's priority date: varies by school, often in the fall or early winter. File before the earliest one on your list.
The safe rule is simple: file within a week or two of October 1, well before any state or college date, and you have beaten essentially every deadline that matters.
What is new, and what is not
The FAFSA is now the streamlined version: fewer questions for most families, and a direct import of your tax data from the IRS once you consent, so you type far less than families did a few years ago. The old term "EFC" is gone; your result is the Student Aid Index (SAI), which colleges use to build your aid. That change is not new to this year, but it is still the number you will see.
One genuinely new item worth knowing: Workforce Pell took effect July 1, 2026. Pell Grant money can now cover high-quality short-term job-training programs, some as short as eight weeks, not only traditional degrees. If your student is looking at a trade or certificate program, the FAFSA is still the front door, and it may now unlock Pell for that path. Confirm a specific program qualifies at studentaid.gov.
Have these ready before you sit down
You can file in well under an hour if you gather these first. The student and one parent (for a dependent student) each complete a short part.
- An FSA ID for the student and one parent. Create both at studentaid.gov at least a few days early; a brand new ID can take a short time to verify, and you cannot sign the form without it.
- 2025 tax information. The 2027-28 FAFSA uses income from two years prior, which is your 2025 federal tax return. In most cases the form imports it straight from the IRS once you consent, so you may not need to type numbers at all.
- The list of colleges your student is considering, even rough. You can send the FAFSA to many schools at once, and add more later.
- Records of untaxed income and assets if they apply, such as child support received or business value, for the few families the streamlined form still asks.
A fall checklist for a Class of 2027 family
- Now (late summer): create both FSA IDs so they are verified and ready. Look up your state's FAFSA deadline.
- Week of October 1: file the 2027-28 FAFSA. Consent to the IRS data import to make it fast.
- Same week: check each college's own aid page for a separate form (some private colleges also require the CSS Profile for their own grant money).
- A few days later: confirm your form processed and review your SAI. Fix any flagged item promptly.
- If your income dropped since 2025 (a lost job, a death, a divorce), file anyway, then ask each college's aid office about a professional judgment review. The FAFSA is a snapshot; the appeal is how you update it.
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Common questions
When exactly does the 2027-28 FAFSA open?
By October 1, 2026. That is the date the form opens, not a date you have to file by: federal law gives the Department of Education until October 1 to make it available, and it has confirmed the 2027-28 form will meet that. A public beta runs in the late summer of 2026, but the full form for everyone is available by October 1. That is the form for students starting college in fall 2027.
Whose income does the 2027-28 FAFSA use?
Your 2025 federal tax information. The FAFSA uses income from two years earlier, called prior-prior year, and in most cases it imports the figures directly from the IRS once you give consent, so you type very little.
Should I wait for the beta or file at launch?
For most families, file when the full form is available around October 1 rather than during the beta. The beta is mainly for testing. What matters is filing early in October, well before your state and college deadlines, because some aid runs out.
Does filing the FAFSA cost anything?
No. The FAFSA is always free; that is what the first F stands for. Never pay a site to file it for you. If anyone charges you to submit the FAFSA, you are on the wrong site; the only official one is studentaid.gov.
What if our income changed after 2025?
File the FAFSA with the 2025 figures anyway, then contact each college's financial aid office and ask for a professional judgment or special circumstances review. Aid offices can adjust your aid for a job loss, a death, a divorce, or other big changes the two-year-old tax data does not reflect.
Reviewed as of September 4, 2026. Federal and state aid rules change; this guide is re-verified on a schedule, but always confirm specifics at studentaid.gov and each college's aid office.