The FAFSA becomes available to complete on October 1 every year. Students will first fill the FAFSA out during their
senior year of high school as well as each subsequent year after while they are enrolled in college and/or graduate school.
The FAFSA has a 21-month application cycle and can be submitted as late as June 30 of the academic year, or the by the last day
of classes if that falls first.
However, each state has their own deadline for submitting the FAFSA in order to qualify for state financial aid.
State deadlines for financial aid often fall between January and June, meaning students should not necessarily wait until June 30
of the following year to complete the FAFSA. If that strategy is utilized, they could potentially miss out on a year’s worth
of state financial aid.
Instead, students and parents should commit to filling out the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1 in order to complete the application well before any deadlines, thereby maximizing aid eligibility.