As of October 2026. Every number below is sourced; the list is at the end.
The 2027-28 FAFSA opened on September 23, 2026. So the answer to "when can we file" is that you can file today. This is the form for high school seniors in the 2026-27 school year, who start college in fall 2027. The federal deadline is June 30, 2028, at 11:59 p.m. Central time, and corrections are due by September 12, 2028. That is the federal date, and it is the wrong one to plan around, because most state money is decided much earlier. Texas posts the earliest fixed date in the table below: January 15, 2027.
The two dates to write down
Start with September 23, 2026. The Department of Education announced it that day in two places, and the form has been open to everyone since. Its announcement to financial aid offices reads: "The Department is pleased to announce that the 2027-28 FAFSA form is now live to the general public." A second Department page, dated September 23, 2026, says it plainly: "The 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is now available."
So write down two dates. September 23, 2026, the day it opened. And your own state's date, which is the one that decides how much aid your family gets.
Why some pages still say October 1, 2026
Because October 1 is the date the law sets as the floor, not the day the form actually opened. The FAFSA Deadline Act, Public Law 118-145, requires the form to be available "not later than October 1 prior to the applicant's planned year of enrollment." The Department beat that floor this year.
The printed 2027-28 FAFSA, the paper version, still reads: "For federal aid, submit your application as early as possible, but no earlier than October 1, 2026." Both dates are real. The online form is the one your family will use, and it has been open since September 23.
Every state deadline for the 2027-28 FAFSA
Below is what the federal deadline page states for each state and the District of Columbia for the 2027-28 year. Read your own row and put that date on the calendar.
| State | 2027-28 FAFSA deadline, as the page states it | Which aid it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No date posted | -- |
| Alaska | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 (Education Grant); June 30, 2027 priority (Performance Scholarship) | Education Grant (funds run out), then Performance Scholarship (priority). |
| Arizona | April 1, 2027 | Arizona Promise Program, priority consideration. |
| Arkansas | March 1, 2027 (Governor's Scholars-Distinguished); July 1, 2027 (Academic Challenge / Non-Distinguished / Future Grant fall); Jan. 10, 2028 (Future Grant spring) | Four programs, four dates. |
| California | March 2, 2027 (date postmarked) | Cal Grant GPA verification also due March 2, 2027; community college Cal Grant by Sept. 2, 2027. |
| Colorado | No date posted | -- |
| Connecticut | Feb. 15, 2027 | Priority consideration. |
| Delaware | May 15, 2027 | -- |
| District of Columbia | June 25, 2027 (priority); July 1, 2027 (DC TAG) | The DC Tuition Assistance Grant has its own July 1, 2027 date, via the DC OneApp. |
| Florida | May 15, 2027 (date processed) | Date processed. |
| Georgia | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | Additional forms may be required at GAfutures.org. |
| Hawaii | No date posted | -- |
| Idaho | March 1, 2027, midnight Mountain time | Opportunity Scholarship. |
| Illinois | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | Monetary Award Program. Funds run out. |
| Indiana | April 15, 2027 | Frank O'Bannon Grant, 21st Century Scholarship, Workforce Ready, Adult Student Grant. |
| Iowa | July 1, 2027, midnight Central time | Some programs set earlier priority dates. |
| Kansas | April 1, 2027, midnight Central time | Priority consideration. |
| Kentucky | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | Aid awarded until the funds run out. |
| Louisiana | June 30, 2028 (recommended by Feb. 1, 2027) | Posts the federal date, then recommends Feb. 1, 2027. |
| Maine | May 1, 2027 (date received) | Date received. |
| Maryland | March 1, 2027 (date received) | Howard P. Rawlings Educational Excellence Awards Program. |
| Massachusetts | May 1, 2027, midnight Central time | Priority consideration. |
| Michigan | July 1, 2027, midnight Central time | Michigan Competitive Scholarship and Michigan Tuition Grant, priority. |
| Minnesota | June 1, 2027 (North Star Promise priority); State Grant due 30th day of term | North Star Promise priority; the State Grant is due the 30th day of the term. |
| Mississippi | April 30, 2027, midnight CT (HELP Grant); Oct. 15, 2027 (MTAG/MESG) | HELP Grant, then MTAG and MESG. |
| Missouri | Feb. 1, 2027 (priority); accepted through April 1, 2027 | Priority date, then the last day applications are accepted. |
| Montana | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | Priority consideration. |
| Nebraska | No date posted | -- |
| Nevada | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 (Silver State Opportunity Grant); April 1, 2027 (Nevada Promise Scholarship) | Silver State Opportunity Grant, then Nevada Promise Scholarship. |
| New Hampshire | No date posted | -- |
| New Jersey | April 15, 2027, 11 p.m. CT (2026-27 TAG recipients); Sept. 15, 2027 (other TAG, fall+spring); Feb. 15, 2028 (spring only) | Tuition Aid Grant, three dates by situation. |
| New Mexico | No date posted | Priority dates vary by college. |
| New York | June 30, 2028, midnight Central time | Posts the federal date. Additional forms may be required. |
| North Carolina | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 (Private Institutions); June 1, 2027 (UNC System and Community Colleges) | Private colleges first, then the UNC System and community colleges. |
| North Dakota | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | Aid awarded until the funds run out. |
| Ohio | Oct. 1, 2027, midnight Central time | -- |
| Oklahoma | No date posted | -- |
| Oregon | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 (Oregon Opportunity Grant); March 1, 2027 (OSAC Private Scholarships) | Opportunity Grant, then OSAC Private Scholarships. |
| Pennsylvania | May 1, 2027 (most students); Aug. 1, 2027 (first-time applicants at community college/trade/2-yr programs) | Most students, then first-time applicants at two-year and trade programs. |
| Rhode Island | No date posted | -- |
| South Carolina | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 (SC Need-based Grants); Aug. 1, 2027 midnight CT (SC Tuition Grants, independent institutions) | Need-based grants are first come, first served; Tuition Grants are for independent colleges. |
| South Dakota | No date posted | -- |
| Tennessee | April 1, 2027 (State Grant/Tennessee Promise); Sept. 1, 2027 fall / March 1, 2028 spring / May 1, 2028 summer (Lottery) | Tennessee Promise and the State Grant, then the lottery scholarship by term. |
| Texas | Jan. 15, 2027 | Priority; private and two-year colleges may differ. |
| Utah | No date posted | Opportunity Scholarship date is posted at opportunityscholarship.org. |
| Vermont | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | Aid awarded until the funds run out. |
| Virginia | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | Dates vary by college. |
| Washington | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 | -- |
| West Virginia | March 1, 2027 (PROMISE Scholarship); April 15, 2027 (WV Higher Education Grant / WV Invests Grant) | PROMISE Scholarship, then the Higher Education Grant and WV Invests Grant. |
| Wisconsin | No date posted | -- |
| Wyoming | No date posted | -- |
Three honest notes on that table. Twelve states post no date at all, and the page labels those rows "Contact Your Financial Aid Office": Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. We have not invented a date for them. File early anyway, because a state with no posted date can still run out of money. Eight more name no later date and say to file as soon as possible after October 1, 2026: Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Several add that aid is awarded until the funds run out, which makes "as soon as possible" the real deadline. And Louisiana and New York post the federal date, June 30, 2028, with Louisiana recommending February 1, 2027 instead.
The federal page itself says to visit your state higher education agency's website for the most up-to-date state deadline. So treat your row as the date to beat, not the last word.
What the FAFSA decides, and what it costs
It costs nothing. The Department's own wording: "Completing and submitting the FAFSA form is free." Anyone charging you to file it is selling you something you already have.
What it decides is wider than most families expect. It covers "federal student grants (such as a Federal Pell Grant), work-study funds, and federal student loans." And beyond that: "States, schools, and some private aid providers also use your FAFSA information to determine your eligibility for their financial aid programs." That is why skipping it costs more than the federal money. It can switch off a college's own aid too.
On the Pell Grant, here is the figure the Department actually publishes. The maximum Pell Grant is $7,395 for the 2026-27 award year. The 2027-28 amount is not posted yet, and the Department says it will add that amount when it is available. This is also a yearly form: you fill it out every year your student is in school to stay eligible.
What to have ready before you start
Two things, and both take longer than the form itself. The first is the 2025 tax return. The 2027-28 FAFSA asks about 2025 income, so it is last year's return, already filed. You are not estimating anything.
The second is the accounts. An FSA ID is "a username and password combination you use to log in to U.S. Department of Education (ED) online systems." The student needs one and the parent needs a separate one: "You should create your own FSA ID, and your parent should create his or her own FSA ID." The Department says why plainly -- "Your parent must have their own StudentAid.gov account to access your FAFSA form." Families lose a week here sharing one login. Make both accounts first.
The move
This month, file the 2027-28 FAFSA. It is open, your 2025 return is already done, and what stands between you and a submitted form is two accounts and about an hour. Find your state in the table above and beat that date by a month.
Then put the score on the same calendar, because aid and scores get decided in the same months. Have your student sit one full-length practice SAT and one full-length practice ACT, and pick the exam after both are on paper. Both mocks are free: prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step. Or call 949.229.5359 and we will help you map the year.
Questions parents ask
When did the 2027-28 FAFSA open?
The 2027-28 FAFSA opened on September 23, 2026. The Department of Education announced it that day in two places, and the form has been open to everyone since.
What is the deadline to submit the 2027-28 FAFSA?
The federal deadline is June 30, 2028, at 11:59 p.m. Central time, and corrections are due by September 12, 2028. That is the federal date, and it is the wrong one to plan around, because most state money is decided much earlier.
Why do some pages still say October 1, 2026?
Because October 1 is the date the law sets as the floor, not the day the form actually opened. The printed 2027-28 FAFSA, the paper version, still reads: "For federal aid, submit your application as early as possible, but no earlier than October 1, 2026."
Written by Nick Standlea, founder of Test Prep Gurus. Updated October 2026.
Sources
- Federal Student Aid, FAFSA Application Deadlines (2027-28): https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/fafsa-deadlines
- Federal Student Aid, 2027-28 FAFSA form (PDF): https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/2027-28-fafsa-form.pdf
- Federal Student Aid Partner Connect, 2027-28 FAFSA Beta Testing Plan (updated Sept. 23, 2026): https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2026-07-21/2027-28-fafsa-beta-testing-plan-updated-sept-23-2026
- U.S. Department of Education Financial Aid Toolkit, 2027-28 FAFSA Form Now Available: https://financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/tk/announcement-detail.jsp?id=fafsa-updates
- Congress.gov, H.R. 8932, FAFSA Deadline Act, Public Law 118-145: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/8932/text
- Federal Student Aid, Federal Pell Grants: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/pell
- Federal Student Aid, Steps for Students: Filling Out the FAFSA Form: https://studentaid.gov/articles/fafsa-student-steps/
- Federal Student Aid, Creating and Using the FSA ID (PDF): https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/creating-using-fsaid.pdf