2027–28 FAFSA Opens October 1: What U.S. Students and Parents Should Prepare Now

The 2027–28 FAFSA will be available by October 1, 2026, for students seeking aid for the July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028 award year.
Students and every required contributor should create or verify separate StudentAid.gov accounts before the form opens.
Gather 2025 tax information, current asset details, child support records, school names, and state and college deadline information now.

What the 2027–28 FAFSA date means

The 2027–28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, will be available by October 1, 2026. It is the form students use to apply for federal financial aid for enrollment between July 1, 2027, and June 30, 2028.

The FAFSA can also be used by states and colleges to determine eligibility for their own grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans. You do not need to wait until you have made a final college choice. Students can list schools they are considering and update the list later.

This is a U.S. financial aid application. If you live in Canada but plan to attend a U.S. college or career school, check that institution’s federal aid eligibility and contact its financial aid office. The FAFSA does not replace Canadian provincial or federal student aid applications.

Set up every StudentAid.gov account first

The student needs a personal StudentAid.gov account, and each FAFSA contributor needs a separate account. A contributor may be a parent, stepparent, or spouse who must provide information, give consent for federal tax information to be transferred from the IRS, and sign part of the form.

Do not share accounts. A StudentAid.gov account functions as a legal electronic signature, so the student and each contributor must use their own login information. Parents cannot create or use an account on behalf of a child.

Students generally need a Social Security number to create an account. A parent or spouse contributor may be able to create an account without an SSN and still complete the required FAFSA section. If you already have an account, verify that you can sign in and that your name, date of birth, email address, and phone number are correct.

Create or verify a StudentAid.gov account

Work out who the contributors will be

Dependent students usually need information from at least one parent. The correct parent is not always the parent who claims the student on a tax return. Family circumstances such as separation, divorce, remarriage, or a parent’s death can affect which parent must participate.

Use the official parent-identification tool if your family situation is complicated. It is also wise to tell the likely contributor now that they will need to complete their own section and consent to the IRS data transfer.

Use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent? tool

Documents and information to gather now

You may not need to type every figure from a paper tax return because the FAFSA can transfer federal tax information from the IRS after the required consent is provided. Still, having the relevant records available can help you answer follow-up questions and resolve mismatches.

Prepare	Why it matters
StudentAid.gov account details	Each student and contributor needs a separate account to access, sign, and complete the form.
2025 federal tax information	The 2027–28 FAFSA asks for 2025 tax information from the student and required contributors.
Social Security numbers or other identity information	The form uses identity and contributor information to match records and complete required sections.
Current cash, checking, and savings balances	The FAFSA asks for certain asset information based on the form’s instructions.
Investment, business, and farm information	Some families must report the net worth of qualifying investments, businesses, or farms.
Child support records	The form may ask about child support received during the required reporting period.
School list	Schools listed on the FAFSA can receive the information needed to prepare an aid offer.
Family and household details	Family size, marital status, and the number of family members in college can affect the calculation.

Keep the information secure. Do not email tax returns, account passwords, or Social Security numbers casually, and never pay a third party to access the FAFSA. The FAFSA itself is free.

Know which tax year the form uses

The 2027–28 FAFSA uses 2025 tax information. That means a parent or student who is preparing in 2026 should locate the 2025 federal return and related records, not automatically use the most recent return available.

The form also asks about some information that is current when the FAFSA is completed. For example, marital status is reported as of the date the form is filled out, while income and tax details come from the required 2025 tax year.

If your family’s current finances are significantly different from the 2025 information, complete the FAFSA using the requested information and then contact each prospective school’s financial aid office. The school may review special circumstances and decide whether an adjustment is appropriate, but an adjustment is not automatic.

Review the official 2025 tax information guide

Check the three FAFSA deadlines

There is not one universal deadline that guarantees the best aid package. Students should track three separate deadlines:

College or career school deadline: Each institution sets its own deadline, and priority deadlines may come well before classes begin.
State deadline: Your state of legal residence may set a deadline for grants, scholarships, or other state aid. Some dates are hard deadlines, while others are priority dates.
Federal deadline: The federal FAFSA deadline is typically June 30 for the applicable award year, but waiting that long can mean missing earlier state or school aid opportunities.

For the 2027–28 FAFSA, check your state’s deadline as soon as the official deadline tool provides the applicable dates. Also check the financial aid page for every school on your list. If you have not selected a school yet, submitting the FAFSA early and updating your school list later may help preserve your options.

Check official FAFSA deadlines

What to do when the FAFSA opens

On or after October 1, 2026, sign in through the official FAFSA application page and select the 2027–28 FAFSA. Do not accidentally choose the 2026–27 form, which applies to a different award year.

The student starts the form and completes the student sections.
The student invites the required parent, stepparent, or spouse contributor using the contributor’s information.
Each contributor signs in with their own StudentAid.gov account.
The student and contributors provide the required consent and approval for federal tax information transfer.
Everyone reviews their answers carefully before signing and submitting.
The student saves the confirmation and later checks the FAFSA Submission Summary for errors or requested corrections.

A parent or spouse who refuses the required consent and approval may prevent the student from qualifying for federal student aid, even if tax information is entered manually.

Open the official FAFSA application page

After submission: watch for the FAFSA Submission Summary

After the FAFSA is processed, the student can find the FAFSA Submission Summary in the StudentAid.gov account Dashboard. It includes an overview of eligibility information, FAFSA answers, listed schools, and next steps.

Review the FAFSA Submission Summary

Review the summary rather than assuming the application is complete. Check the student’s name, schools, dependency information, contributor details, and any messages about missing signatures or corrections. Contributors generally cannot view the student’s full FAFSA Submission Summary; the student must review it.

Schools may request additional documents before preparing an aid offer. Respond by the school’s deadline and keep copies of anything submitted.

Common problems to avoid

Using one account for the whole family: Every contributor needs a separate account.
Inviting the wrong contributor: Use the official parent-identification guidance when parents are separated, divorced, remarried, or living apart.
Choosing the wrong FAFSA year: Select 2027–28 for aid covering July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028.
Ignoring consent: Required contributors must provide consent and approval for IRS tax information transfer.
Waiting for the federal deadline: State and college deadlines can be earlier and may affect limited aid.
Paying to file: The FAFSA is free. Be cautious of websites or callers asking for payment, account credentials, or unnecessary personal information.

The safest next step is to create or verify the student and contributor StudentAid.gov accounts, gather the 2025 tax and household records, and write down each school and state deadline before October 1, 2026.

Helpful Links

Federal Student Aid FAFSA application – Start the FAFSA, select the correct award year, accept contributor invitations, and access official deadline tools.
StudentAid.gov account creation – Create or verify the separate StudentAid.gov account required for each student and FAFSA contributor.
Where to find 2025 tax information – Match requested 2025 FAFSA information with the appropriate IRS forms and lines.
FAFSA deadline guidance – Understand school, state, and federal FAFSA deadlines and why earlier submission may matter.
Steps for Students Filling Out the FAFSA Form – Official page referenced in the article.
FAFSA Submission Summary: What You Need To Know – Official page referenced in the article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I complete the 2027–28 FAFSA before October 1, 2026?

A. No. The 2027–28 FAFSA will be available by October 1, 2026. Before then, you can prepare accounts, documents, contributor information, school names, and deadline reminders.

Q. Which tax return does the 2027–28 FAFSA use?

A. The 2027–28 FAFSA asks for 2025 tax information. The form may transfer federal tax information from the IRS after the required consent and approval are provided.

Q. Does every parent need a StudentAid.gov account?

A. Not necessarily. The required contributor depends on the student’s dependency and family circumstances. Each person identified as a contributor must have their own account, but not every parent automatically completes the form.

Q. What if my family income changed after 2025?

A. Complete the FAFSA using the requested 2025 information, then contact the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend. The school may review a significant change in circumstances and decide whether an adjustment is appropriate.

Q. Can I still submit the FAFSA if I miss my state deadline?

A. You should still submit it because missing a state deadline does not automatically eliminate eligibility for federal student aid. However, state and school aid may have limited funds or earlier priority deadlines.