Free Application for Federal Student Aid

FAFSA for the 2026–27 school year is now open and available to all students for the award year running from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

Through Federal Student Aid, the U.S. Dept. of Education helps make college education possible by providing more than $256 billion in federal grants, work‑study funds, and student loans each year to more than 10 million students. ¹

FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is your ticket to all student aid you may be eligible for. And the only way to find out if you qualify for any aid is to complete and submit a FAFSA and it’s absolutely FREE.

Almost everyone’s eligible for some types of federal student aid — grants, work-study or loans.

Whether you’re enrolling in college for the first time or returning to school, you’re highly encouraged to file your FAFSA each year — even if you think you don’t qualify.

What is FAFSA?

FAFSA application consists of 108 numbered and unnumbered questions all directed towards the students’ assets, income and dependency. ²

Starting July 1, 2024, the new FAFSA will only have a maximum of 36 questions instead of 108 and will be available in at least 11 languages.

The answers to these questions will eventually determine your Student Aid Index (SAI) — an estimate of how much you can afford out of your own pocket. Your school will subtract your SAI from your total cost of attendance. The result is your financial need.

In other words, the lesser your SAI is, the more financial aid you’ll be awarded!

The SAI, unlike the EFC, may be a negative number, with the lowest possible amount of —1,500. This allowance for negative SAI numbers help identify neediest students with the greatest need.

Before you apply

Complete your income tax return

You don’t have to file your income tax return before you fill out the FAFSA, but it’s a good idea to do so. If you’ve done so, you can automatically retrieve your income tax data from the IRS and have it transferred straight into your FAFSA.

Get your FSA ID

Create a FSA ID, made up of a unique username and password, at StudentAid.gov . Although it is not strictly required to complete your FAFSA, it is the fastest way to sign your application and have it processed electronically.

What do I need to complete my FAFSA?

Personal Documents

1. Your Social Security Number (SSN)
2. Driver’s license number and state of issuance (if any)
3. Alien Registration Number (if an eligible non-citizen)
4. FSA ID for you and for each required contributor (such as a parent or spouse)

Financial Records

1. “Prior prior year” federal tax return (Form 1040).
2. Taxable income from W—2 & 1099 forms (if available)
3. Records of any untaxed income (such as child support received, workers’ comp, military allowances, etc.)
4. Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
5. Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms

What tax information do I need for FAFSA?

The FAFSA uses tax information from what’s known as the “prior prior year”, which uses tax data from two years prior to the start of the academic year. For the 2026—2027 FAFSA, you’ll use the information on your 2024 tax return, not your 2025 return.

Beginning with the 2024–25 FAFSA, anyone listing tax information on the FAFSA will be required to use the IRS Direct Data Exchange  (DDX), which will be mandatory.

How do I submit my FAFSA?

The myStudentAid app has been retired. Students now complete the FAFSA directly through the mobile-friendly StudentAid.gov website. ³

To submit your FAFSA, you may choose one of these methods: online, by PDF, or on paper.

FAFSA Online

With its new “mobile-friendly” redesign, branded as “the Better FAFSA”, completing your FAFSA at StudentAid.gov  is now much easier and more efficient than ever.

“Soft-launched” on December 31, 2023, the Better FAFSA has a shorter and simpler form, with most students and families completing it in less than 15 minutes.

PDF FAFSA

PDF is also available for you to print and fill out manually or is screen-fillable. Remember, you must sign, date, and mail the form to the address provided for processing.

Paper FAFSA

If you don’t have Internet access, you can request a paper FAFSA by calling the
Federal Student Aid Information Center
(800) 433-3243

Is there a deadline?

October 1 is the earliest day you can submit your FAFSA. The official deadline is June 30 but may differ from state to state. In general, you should complete it no later than June 30 or file no later than April 1 in order to meet the “priority” deadline.

Regardless, it’s almost always in your best interest to submit your FAFSA sooner rather than later as some aid is first come, first served.

What happens next?

After you completed your FAFSA, you will receive your FAFSA Submission Summary within 3 to 5 days with a reference to your Student Aid Index (SAI). The same information is also sent to the school(s) you listed on your application.

Assuming all the information is correct, you’ll get a financial aid award letter from the college(s) to which you applied, typically in late March to early April. This letter spells out the details of your financial aid package.