How to Complete the FAFSA: What You Need and What to Expect

One of the steps of the college application process is applying for financial aid. This is often a complicated, detailed process. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the free form you must submit to be considered for federal student aid, including Pell Grants, federal student loans, and Federal Work-Study, at both public and private colleges. Many states and colleges also use FAFSA information to award their own grants and scholarships, and some colleges require it to qualify for certain merit-based scholarships. The amount of information required to complete the application can make the process tedious but with the right preparation it does not have to be. So what do you need to complete the FAFSA? Lots of financial and personal information.

According to the official FAFSA website, StudentAid.gov, the student and each person who must add information to the form (called a contributor, such as a parent or a spouse) each need their own StudentAid.gov account, formerly called an FSA ID. Create these accounts at the beginning of the process; you will be asked for a Social Security number if you have one. Federal tax information is now transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA, replacing the old IRS Data Retrieval Tool, and every contributor must give consent for this transfer, even if they did not file taxes or do not have a Social Security number. Without that consent, the student will not be eligible for federal aid. Most people can complete the form without looking up their tax return, but it helps to have tax returns, records of child support received, current checking and savings account balances, and the value of any non-retirement investments, businesses, or farms on hand. The 2027–28 FAFSA asks for 2025 tax information.

With the right preparation, the FAFSA does not take long: StudentAid.gov says people typically finish their section in 12 minutes or less, although this does not include time spent organizing and collecting any needed materials. Students must list at least one college to receive their FAFSA information, and they should add every college they are applying to, even before they are accepted. Some states require schools to be listed in a specific order (for example, listing a state school first) to qualify for state aid, so check your state's rule on StudentAid.gov. Students can list up to 20 schools on the online FAFSA (10 on the PDF version) and can add or remove schools after submitting.

The 2027–28 FAFSA opened on September 23, 2026, and the federal deadline is June 30, 2028. However, states and colleges set their own, often much earlier, deadlines, and some state and college aid is limited, so submit the FAFSA as early as you can and check each deadline that applies to you.

Make sure to save any financial information used in the application process in case colleges require additional information. Furthermore, if applying to private colleges, make sure to save information for the CSS Profile, which some colleges and scholarship programs (mostly private) require in addition to the FAFSA to qualify for their own financial aid. The CSS Profile is completed through the College Board and is separate from the FAFSA.

Helpful Links:

• General Information: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out
• Application website: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
• FAFSA deadlines (federal, state, and college): https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/fafsa-deadlines

Sources:

Filling Out the FAFSA Form, StudentAid.gov, studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out.