The 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is officially open, and gives students and families an earlier-than-usual opportunity to apply for financial assistance for college and career schools.
The US Department of Education launched the new FAFSA on Sept. 23, more than a week before the federally mandated Oct. 1 launch date. The department described it as the earliest FAFSA launch in the program’s history.
The application is for students seeking financial aid for the academic year running from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028. Completing the FAFSA can provide access to federal Pell Grants, work-study programs and federal student loans. States and individual colleges also use FAFSA information when determining eligibility for some forms of aid.
What has changed with the 2027-28 FAFSA?
One of the biggest changes was to make the application easier to understand and complete. The Department of Education says it has rewritten questions and instructions using clearer language and removed confusing jargon. Officials say the form can take around 12 minutes on average to complete, although individual completion times will vary.
Students also have more options for bringing parents, spouses or other required contributors into their application. Contributors can now be invited through a text message as well as email, including through a customized message generated using a QR code.
(Source: studentaid.gov)
Returning students are also expected to get a faster renewal process. Later this fall, information from previous FAFSA forms will be pre-populated for eligible applicants. This reduces the amount of information that needs to be entered again. Parents with multiple children applying for federal aid will also be able to reuse information across applications.
Another important feature is real-time financial aid information. Students can receive results showing their potential Pell Grant eligibility and other federal aid information after submitting the application. The FAFSA also includes an earnings indicator which is intended to give applicants more information about the earnings outcomes associated with schools on their list.
Changes to federal law will also affect some families' financial calculations. For the 2027-28 FAFSA, family-owned businesses with fewer than 100 full-time employees, family farms and commercial fishing operations are excluded from the asset calculation used to determine financial need.
Students should not assume they have plenty of time simply because the federal deadline is June 30, 2028. States, colleges and other aid programs can impose much earlier deadlines, and some funding is limited.
For that reason, students planning to attend college or career school during the 2027-28 academic year may benefit from completing the FAFSA as early as possible rather than waiting until next year.
