FAFSA® Application — Federal Student Aid

FAFSA is neither a scholarship nor a loan. It is the free form colleges use to calculate what aid a student may receive. One application can feed federal grants, work-study, loans, and institutional aid; many states also use its data. The form must match the academic year: 2026–27 for attendance from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, and 2027–28 for the following year. The 2027–28 FAFSA is already available on StudentAid.gov, so future students can begin preparing for the next cycle.

To submit it, the student signs in or creates a StudentAid.gov account and selects “Start New Form” for the correct year. The student identifies any contributors requested by the system—such as a parent or spouse, depending on the situation—invites each person, and makes sure they complete their sections and required approvals. FAFSA uses tax information transferred from the IRS when consent is given; it may also ask about assets and other circumstances. Add at least one institution to submit the form, and include every campus you are considering before its priority date. The online form allows up to 20 schools.

Timing matters because there is no single deadline for everyone. The federal date, state deadlines, and each campus’s priority date can differ, and some state funds are limited. Federal Student Aid links to state calendars; if a state date has passed, the federal agency says students should still file because a missed state date does not by itself end potential federal eligibility. Save the submission confirmation and check every college portal: FAFSA is not an admissions application, and submitting it does not mean a school has issued an aid offer.

After processing, sign in to StudentAid.gov and review the FAFSA Submission Summary. You can check your answers, Student Aid Index, and a preliminary overview of aid categories. Those amounts are estimates based on submitted information, not approved money or a guaranteed balance; the campus calculates the actual offer after admission, verification, and cost review. If an answer is wrong, use the official correction process. If a task remains, ask which school needs the document, whether it arrived, and how long review takes. Do not email tax returns or sensitive information through ordinary email when a secure upload is available.

A practical routine is to save the summary, note every school deadline, and watch official messages during processing. Even families that do not expect to qualify by income may need FAFSA for campus or state programs, although each aid program sets its own rules. Also separate grants and scholarships from loans: filing FAFSA does not obligate you to accept debt. Use the Estimator to explore possibilities, then compare formal offers by net cost, repayment, and renewal conditions. If you cannot file FAFSA, ask whether your state or campus offers a specific alternative, such as Washington’s WASFA; an alternative state form is not a national substitute.

Who it serves and what it can cover: FAFSA must be completed each year so schools can assess federal aid and, often, state and institutional aid; filing does not require accepting loans.

How to apply or get help: Online application for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 award years. Federal Student Aid Information Center assistance is available; confirm current channels and availability on StudentAid.gov. For case-specific questions, contact the program or financial-aid office named on its official page.

Official application and program information