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Financial aid basics

FAFSA renewal walkthrough

A plain-English checklist for renewing FAFSA while you are already in college.

June 9, 20261 min read

Renewing FAFSA as a continuing undergrad is mostly about timing and clean documentation. The form is shorter than your first year, but missing the window can still create real borrowing pressure.

Work through the renewal early, confirm state-specific deadlines, and compare the result against next year's borrowing plan before you assume the gap will look the same.

Next step

See the real gap across your schools

CollegeLens walks through your award letters the same way this guide does, then compares what you would actually pay at each school.

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