Complete the FAFSA between October 1 and June 30 each award year

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) opens on October 1 and closes on June 30 of the following year. You can submit it anytime within that window. The form covers one academic year — typically the fall and spring semesters that follow — so you fill it out once per year, not once per semester.

The specific academic year the form covers depends on when you submit it. If you fill it out in October 2024, you are applying for the 2024–2025 academic year. If you wait until April 2025, you are still applying for 2024–2025. Once June 30, 2025 passes, that form closes and you must wait for the October 1, 2025 opening to apply for 2025–2026.

Submitting earlier matters because many aid programs — particularly grants and work-study — have limited funds. Schools and states distribute money on a first-come, first-served basis, so students who submit in October or November often receive larger aid packages than those who submit in May or June.

Key Takeaways

  • The FAFSA window runs from October 1 to June 30 each year, and you submit once per academic year, not once per semester.
  • Submitting earlier increases your chances of receiving grants and work-study, since these funds are limited and distributed first-come, first-served.
  • You need tax information from the prior year — usually the year before the academic year you are applying for — so have your tax return or IRS documents ready.
  • After you submit, schools use your FAFSA information to calculate how much aid they will offer, so expect to hear from them within weeks to months.

What tax year information you need to provide

The FAFSA asks for income and tax information from a specific year, called the base year. For the 2024–2025 academic year, you report 2023 tax information. For 2025–2026, you report 2024 tax information. This means you are always using the most recent completed tax year available when you fill out the form.

You do not need to have filed your taxes yet to submit the FAFSA. You can use estimates based on your pay stubs, W-2s, or 1099s, and update the form later once you file. Many families use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which pulls your actual tax information directly from the IRS into the FAFSA, but this only works if the IRS has processed your return.

If you have not filed taxes and do not expect to, you still need to report income information. Self-employed people, gig workers, and others with non-traditional income should gather documentation of what they earned during the tax year.

Deadlines set by individual schools and states

While the federal FAFSA closes June 30, many schools and states have their own earlier deadlines. Some colleges require the FAFSA by February or March to may provide consideration for institutional aid. Some states, like California and New York, have priority deadlines in March for state grant programs. Missing these deadlines does not prevent you from receiving federal aid, but it can reduce the amount of state or college money you receive.

Check your target schools' financial aid websites for their specific deadlines. Most list them clearly under "FAFSA deadline" or "financial aid deadline." If you are a high school senior, your school counselor can also tell you which deadlines apply to schools you are considering.

What happens after you submit

Once you submit the FAFSA, the Department of Education processes it and generates a Student Aid Report (SAR). This document shows the information you reported and your Expected Family Contribution (EFC), now called the Student Aid Index (SAI). Schools use this number to calculate how much aid they can offer you.

Schools typically receive your FAFSA information within one to three weeks of submission. They then send you a financial aid package showing grants, loans, and work-study you may receive. This package is not automatic — it is an offer based on your FAFSA and the school's own aid budget. You can accept, decline, or negotiate parts of it.

If you submitted estimates and later file your actual tax return, you should update your FAFSA. Schools will recalculate your aid based on the corrected information, which may increase or decrease your package.

Reapplying each year as a continuing student

If you are already in college, you must fill out a new FAFSA each year you want aid. There is no multi-year FAFSA. Each October, when the new form opens, you submit again for the next academic year. Your aid does not carry over automatically.

Many schools send reminders to continuing students about FAFSA deadlines, and some have automatic renewal processes that pre-fill information from your previous year's form. Even so, you are responsible for checking that the information is correct and submitting before your school's deadline.

If you take a semester or year off, you do not need to file a FAFSA during that time. When you return, you file a new one for the academic year you are re-enrolling.

What to do if you miss the June 30 deadline

If you miss the June 30 closing date, you cannot submit a FAFSA for that academic year. You must wait until October 1 to file for the next year. However, you can still receive federal student loans and some aid even without a FAFSA — contact your school's financial aid office to ask about alternative forms or late-submission options specific to your situation.

Some schools have their own financial aid forms for students who miss the FAFSA deadline. These do not replace the FAFSA but may allow you to receive institutional aid while you wait for the next FAFSA window to open. The sooner you contact your school, the more options they can explain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit the FAFSA before October 1?

No. The form does not open until October 1 each year. You cannot submit it earlier, even if you have all your documents ready. The October 1 opening applies nationwide.

Do I need to fill out the FAFSA every semester?

No. You fill it out once per academic year, which covers both fall and spring semesters. You do not submit it again in January or at the start of spring semester.

What if my income or family situation changes after I submit?

You can update your FAFSA anytime before June 30. Schools will recalculate your aid based on the new information. Contact your school's financial aid office to let them know you have made changes.

Do I have to submit by my school's deadline, or just by June 30?

You should submit by your school's deadline if you want to receive the full aid package they are offering. Submitting after your school's deadline but before June 30 may still allow you to receive federal aid, but state and institutional grants may be reduced or unavailable.

What if I am applying to college for the first time as an adult?

The timeline is the same. If you are starting in fall 2025, you submit the FAFSA between October 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Use your most recent tax year (2024 in this example). Contact your target school's financial aid office early — they can walk you through the process and any deadlines specific to adult or returning students.