The 2027-28 FAFSA Is Open: Deadlines and What's New

The 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is open, and students who file early can get a head start on grants that are handed out first come, first served. The U.S. Department of Education launched the form on Sept. 23, 2026, more than a week before the Oct. 1 date required by law. The department called it the earliest FAFSA launch in the program's history for the second year in a row.

The 2027-28 FAFSA covers college costs from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028. That includes high school seniors in the class of 2027 and current college students returning next year.

2027-28 FAFSA Deadlines

• Federal deadline: June 30, 2028. That is the last day to submit the 2027-28 form for federal aid.
• State deadlines: much earlier, and some states award grants until money runs out. California's Cal Grant deadline is March 2, 2027, and Texas lists Jan. 15, 2027, as a priority date, according to the National College Attainment Network's state deadline list. Kentucky and Tennessee award some aid only until funds are gone.
• College deadlines: many colleges set their own priority dates, often in winter. Check each school's financial aid page.

Because state and college money is limited, the practical deadline for most students is "as soon as possible," not June 2028.

What's New on the 2027-28 FAFSA

The Education Department lists several changes for this cycle:

• Clearer wording: questions and instructions were rewritten to remove jargon.
• Contributor invites by text: students can invite a parent or spouse by text message as well as email. Under Secretary Nicholas Kent wrote in a Sept. 24 blog post that students can also use a QR code to invite a contributor.
• Faster renewals: later this fall, returning students' answers will be pre-filled from their previous FAFSA.
• Real-time results: most students see their Student Aid Index and Pell Grant eligibility almost immediately after submitting.
• Shared parent information: parents with more than one child applying can reuse their information across forms.
• Earnings indicator: the form shows whether graduates of a college you list earn less than a typical high school graduate.

"We are incredibly proud to launch the earliest FAFSA form in our nation's history," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in the launch announcement.

What You Need Before You File

• A StudentAid.gov account for the student and for each contributor, such as a parent or spouse.
• 2025 tax information. The 2027-28 FAFSA uses information from two years earlier. Contributors who consent to share IRS data can have most tax answers transferred automatically.
• Asset information such as checking and savings balances and investments, as of the day you file.
• Your college list. You can send the FAFSA to up to 20 schools.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Waiting for admission decisions. You can list colleges before you are accepted. Filing early protects your place in line for state grants.
• Leaving contributors until the end. Your FAFSA is not complete until every required contributor finishes their section.
• Skipping it because you think you won't qualify. Many colleges use the FAFSA for their own grants and scholarships, and federal student loans also require it.
• Forgetting to renew. Current college students must file a new FAFSA every year.

How the FAFSA Fits With Other Deadlines

For seniors, the FAFSA lands in the middle of application season. Early decision and early action deadlines fall in early November, as we covered in Early Decision Deadlines 2026. Scholarship essays are often due in the same months; our guide on how to start a scholarship essay can help. Graduate students should also read about the end of Grad PLUS loans, which changes how much they can borrow.

What Students Should Do Now

• File the 2027-28 FAFSA at fafsa.gov as soon as you can.
• Look up your state's deadline and your colleges' priority dates and put them on your calendar.
• Get contributors set up with StudentAid.gov accounts this week.
• Review your FAFSA Submission Summary for errors after you file.

Dates and features come from Education Department announcements from September 2026 and state deadline listings as of Oct. 14, 2026. Confirm state dates with your state's aid agency.