Guides · Paying for college
FAFSA deadlines for 2027-28: federal, state and college dates
The short answer
The 2027-28 FAFSA opened on September 23, 2026, and the federal deadline is June 30, 2028. Your state's and your colleges' deadlines come much sooner: several states give aid first come, first served, and many colleges want the FAFSA by February or March 1, 2027.
If you're starting college in fall 2027, file the 2027-28 FAFSA, using your family's 2025 tax return. File it as soon as you can. The earliest deadline on your list is the one that counts.
On this page
The federal window: September 23, 2026 to June 30, 2028
The federal deadline is June 30, 2028. StudentAid.gov: "The FAFSA form must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time (CT) on June 30, 2028. Any corrections or updates must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CT on Sept. 12, 2028."
The form opened on September 23, 2026, earlier than the usual October 1. The Department of Education announced that day that "the 2027-2028 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is online and available to the public."
That federal date only matters for federal aid such as the Pell Grant. State grants and college money run out long before, so plan around your state's and colleges' dates and treat June 30, 2028 as a last resort.
State deadlines that come early
Several states award their grants first come, first served, so filing in November can mean more money than filing in March. These are the 2027-28 dates from StudentAid.gov's state deadline list, read on 9 November 2026:
| State | Program | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Monetary Award Program | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026; aid is awarded until funds run out |
| Kentucky | State aid | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026; aid is awarded until funds run out |
| North Carolina | Private colleges | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 (UNC System and community colleges: June 1, 2027); aid is awarded until funds run out |
| South Carolina | Need-based grants | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026; first come, first served |
| Vermont | State aid | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026; aid is awarded until funds run out |
| Oregon | Oregon Opportunity Grant | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 (OSAC private scholarships: March 1, 2027) |
| Washington | State aid | As soon as possible after Oct. 1, 2026 |
| Texas | Priority consideration | Jan. 15, 2027 |
| Connecticut | Priority consideration | Feb. 15, 2027 |
| Idaho | Opportunity Scholarship | March 1, 2027 |
| West Virginia | PROMISE Scholarship | March 1, 2027 (Higher Education Grant: April 15, 2027) |
| California | Most state aid, including Cal Grant | March 2, 2027 (date postmarked); Cal Grant also needs a school-certified GPA by March 2, 2027 |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Promise | April 1, 2027 |
| Indiana | Frank O'Bannon Grant, 21st Century Scholarship and others | April 15, 2027 |
| Massachusetts | Priority consideration | May 1, 2027 |
| Michigan | Competitive Scholarship and Tuition Grant | July 1, 2027 (priority) |
New York lists June 30, 2028. If your state isn't here, open the state list on StudentAid.gov and check your state's grant agency too. "As soon as possible" means now: those states keep awarding until the money is gone.
College priority dates for fall 2027
Colleges set their own aid dates. If you miss one, you can lose college grants even with a FAFSA on file. These are the dates on each college's aid page, read on 9 November 2026:
| College | Deadline | Details |
|---|---|---|
| UNC-Chapel Hill | Dec. 1, 2026 (early action); March 1, 2027 (regular decision) | FAFSA and CSS Profile due by these dates for academic scholarships and need-based university aid |
| Georgia Tech | Jan. 31, 2027 | Deadline for Georgia Tech aid: its own application, the FAFSA and the CSS Profile |
| Ohio State | Feb. 1, 2027 | Priority date for 2027-28 |
| UVA | March 1, 2027 | Deadline to be considered for all forms of aid |
| Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) | March 15, 2027 | Preferential filing date for 2027-28 |
| Purdue | April 15 | Priority filing date; a hard deadline for Indiana residents' state aid (no year on the page) |
| Michigan | Nov. 15 (ED); March 1 (EA and RD) | Financial aid deadlines; Dec. 15 is the suggested filing date for EA and RD (no year on the page) |
| UT Austin | Jan. 15 | State priority deadline for the FAFSA or TASFA (no year on the page; Texas lists Jan. 15, 2027) |
| Wisconsin | Dec. 1 | Priority deadline (no year on the page) |
| UCLA | March 2 | Priority filing date; California's state deadline is March 2, 2027 (UCLA's home page still shows the 2026 year) |
Some pages print the date without a year; we note that in the table. Many private colleges also want the CSS Profile, often by the application deadline itself. Our CSS Profile deadlines page lists those dates for 19 colleges, from early decision through February.
Before you start: your account and your contributors
You and each parent who has to be on the form need your own StudentAid.gov account. StudentAid.gov: "Each FAFSA® form contributor is required to have their own StudentAid.gov account to complete and sign their sections of the form."
A contributor is anyone who has to give information on the form: usually you and one or both parents. Each contributor must also give consent for the IRS to send their tax information straight into the form. StudentAid.gov says "Consent and approval are required, even if you didn't file a U.S. federal tax return or any tax return at all."
Make the accounts this week. Setup takes a few minutes, and the identity check with the Social Security Administration "usually happens right away." When that system is down, the status shows "Pending," which "can take one to three days to resolve."
The 2025 tax year
The 2027-28 form asks about 2025 income. The 2027-28 FAFSA form asks: "Did the student file a U.S. federal income tax return for 2025 (or will they)?" Most families filed their 2025 return this year, so you can usually do the FAFSA now. Have your parents' 2025 return, W-2s and current bank and investment balances ready.
What to do this week
- Make a StudentAid.gov account for you and for each contributor.
- Write down the earliest FAFSA date across your state and your colleges. For many students that's a state "as soon as possible" date or a college date in December to March.
- File the FAFSA, list every college you're applying to, and invite your contributors from the form.
- Check each college's portal a week or two later to see that your FAFSA arrived.
Still building your college list? The planner shows each college's application deadlines and net price by income. If testing is on your mind too, the SAT/ACT guide lists the colleges that require scores for fall 2027.
Questions
What is the FAFSA deadline for 2027-28?
When did the 2027-28 FAFSA open?
Which tax year does the 2027-28 FAFSA use?
Do my parents need their own FSA ID?
What's the Cal Grant deadline for 2027-28?
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