Source: The College Investor
Knowing when to apply for financial aid is critical no matter which school you’re planning to attend. There are FAFSA deadlines to meet and some funding is on a first-come, first-served basis. In other words, the longer you wait, the less chance you’ll have of receiving funding.
The opposite is also true: The sooner you apply for aid, the better your chances of maximizing the amount you’ll receive.
Each Year The FAFSA opens on October 1, and has a deadline of June 30 the year you need aid. But in 2024, the FAFSA isn’t going to open until December 1! This almost gives you a two year window to apply for financial aid. Remember, financial aid also includes Federal student loans! Find the best student loan rates here.
Below is a link to a table to help you navigate federal aid deadlines by state. It links to the fafsa.ed.gov website.
These deadlines are relevant to 2024–2025 and 2025-2026 FAFSA applications. You’ll may notice some dates have passed. Always contact your school of interest to verify any deadline that may apply to state scholarships and grants.
Important Update For 2024 FAFSA Opening Date (For 2025-26 FAFSA)
The FAFSA will open for all families by December 1, 2024, according to the current information from the Department of Education.
This is better than last year’s FAFSA, which opened on December 28, but it still worse than the usual October 1 opening date.
Due to the major changes with FAFSA Simplification, the FAFSA for the 2024 – 2025 academic year (which open in 2023) won’t open until December 27, 2023. This is a change from the normal October 1 opening date.
These delays are due to legislative changes to the FAFSA called FAFSA Simplification, but driven by failures of the Department of Education to implement.
If you’re curious about what this means for your financial aid situation, check out our Student Aid Index Chart and Calculator.
Federal FAFSA Deadline
The Federal FAFSA deadline is June 30 in the year you are applying for. You can start applying for the FAFSA as early as October 1 they year before. It is extremely important that you file the FAFSA every year.
Source: The College Investor
State FAFSA Deadlines
Many states set their own guidelines when it comes to providing financial aid and the FAFSA requirements along with it.
We’ve put together a comprehensive guide on Financial Aid and Student Loans available by state, and you’ll see a lot of states requiring certain FAFSA deadlines. Make sure you check with your state if you are applying for state-based financial aid.
Here is the list of the 2024-2025 state financial aid deadlines.
School FAFSA Deadlines
Finally, every school may maintain their own deadlines for when to file the FAFSA, with many schools opting for a first-come, first-serve approach to providing need-based financial aid.
If you are going to need scholarships or grants to pay for college, make sure you touch base with your college’s financial aid office so that you understand any deadlines or recommendations about when to apply.
At the end of the day, earlier is usually better.
How To Fill Out The FAFSA
If you’re not quite sure what steps you need to take, here’s our guide on How To Fill Out The FAFSA. You can also check out this infographic here:
Source: The College Investor
Final Thoughts
When you are going to college, you should apply for the FAFSA every year. Beyond eligibility for scholarships and grants, the FAFSA is also what you need to get student loans.
You should apply for the FAFSA as early as possible. It’s relatively easy to do online, and will take about 20-30 minutes of your time. The bottom line is, don’t miss the deadline, and apply early.