Taylor Medine is a staff writer at Forbes Advisor who demystifies complex money topics to help everyday people make more informed financial decisions. Over her nearly a decade of experience, Taylor's work has been published on Bankrate, Experian, Cre.
Taylor Medine Staff WriterTaylor Medine is a staff writer at Forbes Advisor who demystifies complex money topics to help everyday people make more informed financial decisions. Over her nearly a decade of experience, Taylor's work has been published on Bankrate, Experian, Cre.
Written By Taylor Medine Staff WriterTaylor Medine is a staff writer at Forbes Advisor who demystifies complex money topics to help everyday people make more informed financial decisions. Over her nearly a decade of experience, Taylor's work has been published on Bankrate, Experian, Cre.
Taylor Medine Staff WriterTaylor Medine is a staff writer at Forbes Advisor who demystifies complex money topics to help everyday people make more informed financial decisions. Over her nearly a decade of experience, Taylor's work has been published on Bankrate, Experian, Cre.
Staff Writer Caroline Basile Mortgages and Student Loans Deputy EditorCaroline Basile is Forbes Advisor’s student loans and mortgages deputy editor. With experience in both the mortgage industry and as a journalist, she was previously an editor with HousingWire, where she produced daily news and feature stories. She ho.
Caroline Basile Mortgages and Student Loans Deputy EditorCaroline Basile is Forbes Advisor’s student loans and mortgages deputy editor. With experience in both the mortgage industry and as a journalist, she was previously an editor with HousingWire, where she produced daily news and feature stories. She ho.
Caroline Basile Mortgages and Student Loans Deputy EditorCaroline Basile is Forbes Advisor’s student loans and mortgages deputy editor. With experience in both the mortgage industry and as a journalist, she was previously an editor with HousingWire, where she produced daily news and feature stories. She ho.
Caroline Basile Mortgages and Student Loans Deputy EditorCaroline Basile is Forbes Advisor’s student loans and mortgages deputy editor. With experience in both the mortgage industry and as a journalist, she was previously an editor with HousingWire, where she produced daily news and feature stories. She ho.
| Mortgages and Student Loans Deputy Editor
Updated: Feb 1, 2024, 12:54pm
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Students are required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the deadline each academic year to be eligible for aid, like grants, loans and work-study jobs.
While you can file the 2024-25 FAFSA as late as June 2025, there are earlier state and college deadlines you should be aware of.
The FAFSA for the 2024-25 school year opened in December 2023 and closes on June 30, 2025. If you still need financial aid for the 2023-2024 school year, you can apply until June 30, 2024.
In addition to the FAFSA, many public and private institutions use the CSS Profile to determine your financial aid package. CSS Profiles collect financial information outside of what the FAFSA covers to determine a family’s ability to pay for college.
The CSS Profile generally opens on October 1 for the following academic year and application deadlines vary by school.
College Board, a nonprofit organization, administers the CSS Profile and suggests that you fill it out at least two weeks before the earliest CSS Profile priority filing deadline at each school you’re considering attending.
Before you fill out the 2024-25 FAFSA, you’ll need to create an FSA ID. The FSA ID is required to sign the FAFSA and to check your student aid status on StudentAid.gov. Applying for an FSA ID should take less than 10 minutes.
Filing the FAFSA early improves your chances of receiving financial aid that’s awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
For instance, work-study program funding may run out if you file too late. You’re also more likely to meet state or college deadlines if you file the FAFSA as soon as possible.
The final date to file the FAFSA for the 2024-2025 academic year is June 30, 2025, but you can miss out on aid for semesters by filing late.
The federal deadline for filing the FAFSA is always June 30, but state and school deadlines can differ.
For instance, Alaska asks students to submit their FAFSA and apply for the Alaska Education Grant shortly after December 31, 2023 for the next academic year because the award is only offered until the money runs out. Arkansas has a deadline of July 1, 2024 to obtain grant funds for the fall term of the 2024-25 academic year.
Schools and states often use the financial data submitted on FAFSA as a starting point for evaluating a student’s financial needs. If a school doesn’t receive your information before calculating award packages, it greatly reduces your chances of receiving financial aid for the upcoming year.
Note: State grants and scholarships may require additional applications beyond the FAFSA. You should contact your state student aid agency for details.
Individual scholarship and grant deadlines are just as important as the school’s FAFSA deadline. University grants may be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, where those who qualify are the most likely to receive them if they apply as early as possible. Each school may also send out financial aid award letters on different dates.
When you narrow your list of colleges, ask the financial aid offices at your top schools for the application deadlines and opening dates that apply to your unique financial and academic situation. Schools you apply to may need additional applications beyond the FAFSA for specific scholarships and grants.
After you submit the FAFSA, you may need to make changes, such as adding or deleting a school from your list. If you make a FAFSA change, you may want to notify your state department of education if a state school is now your top choice when it wasn’t before. In certain states, adding a state school as a top choice could put you in the running for state grants.
If a special circumstance happens since the last tax year reported on the FAFSA, you can contact a school’s financial aid administrator to request a reassessment of your aid. This is useful to report major financial changes due to events like a change in employment or housing status.
Each school has its own process for handling special circumstances. Contact your school as soon as possible because reporting a change in finances may increase your aid eligibility.
