What the FAFSA does
Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid lets you be considered for federal student aid, and studentaid.gov notes that states and colleges use the same information to award their own grants, scholarships and loans. The form is free and lives on a .gov website; a site that charges to fill it out is not the official one.
The 2027–28 dates
| Item | Date (studentaid.gov) |
|---|---|
| Award year covered | school attended July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028 |
| Tax information used | 2025 |
| Several states: file as soon as possible | after October 1, 2026; some aid is awarded until funds run out |
| Federal deadline | 11:59 p.m. Central time, June 30, 2028 |
| Last day for corrections | 11:59 p.m. Central time, September 12, 2028 |
The federal date is rarely the one that matters. Each state and each school sets its own deadline, and studentaid.gov's state list includes priority dates as early as February and March 2027, plus states that award aid in the order forms arrive. The 2026–27 form, for school from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, uses 2024 tax information. The add or subtract days calculator counts the days left to any deadline.
Who takes part
- The student, who starts the form.
- A parent, if the form decides the student is dependent; studentaid.gov's wizard helps pick which parent.
- A spouse, for an independent student who is married, not separated, and filed taxes separately.
- Each of them needs a StudentAid.gov account, created with their name as on their Social Security card, date of birth, email and Social Security number if they have one.
Tax information and consent
Most people import federal tax information straight from the IRS, so there is usually no need to have the tax return at hand. Everyone who adds information must consent to the Department of Education sharing their details with the IRS, receiving their federal tax information and using it to determine the Student Aid Index and Pell Grant eligibility. Studentaid.gov is clear about refusal: if a spouse, parent or parent's spouse does not consent, the student is not eligible for federal student aid, even if the figures are typed in by hand. Records worth keeping include tax returns, child support received, current bank balances and the value of non-retirement investments.
After you file
- List schools: up to 20 on the online form; each receives your results, and none sees the others.
- If finances changed a lot since the tax year used, submit the form and then contact the school's financial aid office, which may adjust the information; its decision is final.
- Compare the offers, then plan the rest: 529 plans explained, American opportunity vs lifetime learning credit, and the student loan calculator for any loan offered.
This guide follows studentaid.gov's pages on filling out the FAFSA form and on deadlines. State and school deadlines change each year and are listed on studentaid.gov and the schools' own sites.
Frequently asked questions
What is the FAFSA?
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form that lets you be considered for federal student aid. Studentaid.gov adds that states and colleges use FAFSA information to award their own grants, scholarships and loans. There is no fee: if a website asks you to pay to fill it out, studentaid.gov says, you are on the wrong website.
What is the FAFSA deadline for 2027–28?
The federal deadline is 11:59 p.m. Central time on June 30, 2028, with corrections due by September 12, 2028. States and schools set their own, often much earlier, deadlines; several states give priority to forms filed as soon as possible after October 1, 2026, and some aid is awarded until funds run out.
Which tax year does the FAFSA use?
The 2027–28 FAFSA form asks for 2025 tax information, and the 2026–27 form asks for 2024 tax information. Most people can import federal tax information directly from the IRS, and everyone who adds information to the form must give consent for that transfer.
Who needs to fill out the FAFSA?
The student, plus a parent if the student is dependent, or a spouse in some cases for an independent student. Each person who must add information needs their own StudentAid.gov account. The form asks questions to decide whether the student counts as dependent or independent for federal aid.
What happens if a parent does not consent to the tax data transfer?
Studentaid.gov says that if a spouse, parent or parent's spouse does not consent and approve to having their federal tax information transferred into the FAFSA form, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid, even if the contributor enters the tax information by hand.
Sources
- Federal Student Aid: Filling out the FAFSA form (the 2027–28 and 2026–27 forms and their award years; StudentAid.gov accounts for each contributor; the form is free and on a .gov site; dependent and independent students; 2025 tax information for 2027–28 and 2024 for 2026–27; consent to the federal tax information transfer and the consequence of refusing; up to 20 schools online)
- Federal Student Aid: FAFSA application deadlines (federal deadline June 30, 2028 for 2027–28, corrections by September 12, 2028; school and state deadlines; states that award aid as soon as possible after October 1, 2026 until funds run out)