FAFSA timing

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 2027-28 FAFSA is open now. The U.S. Department of Education opened it to all students on September 23, 2026, about a week ahead of the October 1 date federal law requires. It is the form for students starting college in fall 2027, which is this year's high school seniors, the Class of 2027. October 1 was never a deadline to file by; it is the Department's deadline to publish, and the form beat it.

File now rather than waiting. 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 this fall instead of in the winter can be the difference between a grant and a "sorry, funds exhausted."

The 2027-28 timeline, in plain terms

September 23, 2026: the full 2027-28 FAFSA opened to everyone on studentaid.gov, after a summer beta. It is live now. This is the form to file.
Now: file it. The earlier the better, because some aid runs out.
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 in the next week or two, 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

Today: create both FSA IDs if you have not already, so they are verified and ready. Look up your state's FAFSA deadline.
This week: file the 2027-28 FAFSA; it is open now. 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.

Turn the FAFSA into a plan, free

The free guide estimates the aid your student may qualify for, lays out every FAFSA and scholarship deadline in one place, and shows what each college would really cost. No account, and nothing you enter is ever sent to us.

Start a free plan

Not starting today? Get the deadlines once a month.

One email a month with the aid deadlines coming up, and a reminder a week before the big ones. The printable FAFSA night handout comes first. The 2027-28 FAFSA is open now.

A mailing list, not an account. It holds your email and nothing else: no tracking pixels, never sold, and never connected to anything a student enters in the guide. One-click unsubscribe on every email. What you get · Past issues

Common questions

When exactly does the 2027-28 FAFSA open?

It is already open. The Department of Education opened the 2027-28 FAFSA to all students on September 23, 2026, about a week ahead of the October 1 date federal law requires. October 1 was the Department's deadline to publish, not a date you have to file by. This 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.

The form is open early. Should I wait or file now?

File now. The full form has been open to everyone since September 23, 2026, and the summer beta is over. What matters is filing early, well before your state and college deadlines, because some aid is first come, first served and 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 October 28, 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.