When Does the FAFSA Open, and What's the Timeline?

The 2027-28 FAFSA is open right now. Federal Student Aid released it to everyone on September 23, 2026, a week ahead of the October 1 date set in law, and it stays open until June 30, 2028. If your student is in college this year on 2026-27 aid, that form closes June 30, 2027. File as early as you can either way, because some aid runs out.

Aid is often first-come, first-served, so timing matters as much as eligibility. Here is the full FAFSA timeline and how to use it.

When does the FAFSA open?

October 1 is the latest the FAFSA can open, not the day it always opens. The law sets that date and the Education Secretary certifies it to Congress, but the last two cycles arrived ahead of it: the 2026-27 form opened September 24, 2025, and the 2027-28 form opened September 23, 2026. The one year it ran late was 2024-25, when a major overhaul pushed it into December. Treat October 1 as the outside date, and start checking in mid September at studentaid.gov.

For 2027-28, Federal Student Aid released the form to the general public on September 23, 2026, ahead of the October 1 date set in law. Anyone can file it today at studentaid.gov. If your family already filed during the summer testing period, that form is a real submission and you do not file it again. The practical steps are in our guide to filing the 2027-28 FAFSA.

What is the FAFSA deadline?

The federal deadline is June 30 after the school year ends, so the 2027-28 form closes June 30, 2028 and the 2026-27 form closes June 30, 2027. But the federal date is the last one that matters: your state and your colleges set their own, often much earlier, deadlines, and many award limited funds first-come, first-served. Treat the earliest deadline on your list as your real one, and track them with our FAFSA deadlines guide. You can also work backward from our month-by-month senior year timeline.

Why should you file as early as possible?

Because filing early can mean more money. Students who file in the first few months tend to receive more grant aid on average than later filers, partly because some aid runs out. Filing early also gives you time to fix errors and submit verification documents without missing deadlines.

A few reasons not to wait:

• Some state and institutional aid is first-come, first-served.
• Early filing leaves room to correct mistakes before deadlines.
• You will have your aid picture sooner, which helps you compare offers.

Which tax year does the FAFSA use?

The FAFSA uses your income from two years earlier, called the prior-prior year. The 2027-28 form uses your 2025 tax return, the one you filed in spring 2026, and the 2026-27 form uses 2024. Either way the return is already filed, so there is nothing to wait for before you start.

What is the FAFSA timeline, step by step?

File, review your FAFSA Submission Summary, respond to any verification, then compare the offers your colleges send. A simple sequence:

1. Create your studentaid.gov account, and have each contributing parent create their own. New accounts can take a few days to verify.
2. File the FAFSA. The 2027-28 form is open now.
3. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary and fix any errors.
4. Submit verification documents quickly if your school requests them.
5. Compare your colleges' aid offers and meet each school's deadlines.

Our step-by-step guide to filling out the FAFSA and our guide on what happens after you submit the FAFSA cover each step.

Your next step

The 2027-28 cycle is open and running, so there is nothing left to wait for. Create your StudentAid.gov account, gather your 2025 tax return, and submit. Your state and college deadlines land well before the federal deadline of June 30, 2028, so the earlier the better. Read our complete financial aid guide, then create your free CollegeLens plan to turn your aid into a clear cost picture.

You're doing the hard, smart work of getting ahead of the deadlines. That's exactly how families claim the most aid available.

Sravani at CollegeLens