The 2027-28 FAFSA is open to every family, and it arrived a week ahead of schedule. There is nothing left to wait for.
Federal Student Aid released the 2027-28 FAFSA to the general public on September 23, 2026, ahead of the October 1 date set in law. Anyone can file it today. A form submitted before that release is a real submission, so families who have already filed do not file a second time.
Where to file
The form lives at studentaid.gov. That is the only official place to file it, and it is free. There is no access request, no queue, and nothing to sign up for first. A form you submit today goes to every school you list on it.
Why filing now is worth it
Some money runs out. Federal Pell Grants do not, but a good share of state grant programs and institutional aid are awarded first come, first served until that year's funds are gone. Most families file in late fall or winter, all competing for the same first-come funds. A family that files this week is ahead of that line.
What to do this week
Create both StudentAid.gov accounts now. The student needs one and at least one parent contributor needs their own. New accounts can take a few days to verify. Every year families sit down to file and discover the parent account is not ready yet. This is the most common reason an early start turns into a late filing.
Gather your documents: Social Security numbers for everyone reporting information, your 2025 federal tax return, records of untaxed income, and current balances for bank and investment accounts.
An honest caveat
It is new software. Federal Student Aid ran in-person testing events over the summer and fixed a long list of issues before the public release, but a form this large can still surprise you. If you hit something odd, note where you were in the form and try again later in the day. What actually costs money is waiting until November because that is when you got around to it.
What is new in the 2027-28 form
- Account creation is faster. Challenge questions are gone and several steps are combined.
- You can no longer sign in with your phone number. Use your username or email address.
- The homepage no longer asks you to pick a cycle year from a list. It helps you choose the right year based on when you will be enrolled.
- If you are a parent filing for more than one child in the same year, the second form pre-fills much of what you entered on the first. The first form has to be submitted before the second one fills in.
Your next step
Read our complete 2027-28 financial aid guide for how the whole year works, then create your free CollegeLens plan to turn your aid into a clear cost picture.
Sravani at CollegeLens
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