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When Is the FAFSA Deadline for 2023–2024? Everything You Need To Know To Maximize Your Federal Aid

Mariah Ackary

Mariah is a freelance contributor to Newsweek’s personal finance team. After putting herself through college, Mariah became interested in using personal finance to achieve financial freedom—whether that means paying down debt or using credit card points to take a dream vacation. She’s written and edited hundreds of articles about the topic and feels passionately about helping other millennial and Gen Z women live their best lives.

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The TODAY Show, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider and many more top media outlets.

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Claire Dickey

Claire is a senior editor at Newsweek focused on credit cards, loans and banking. Her top priority is providing unbiased, in-depth personal finance content to ensure readers are well-equipped with knowledge when making financial decisions.

Prior to Newsweek, Claire spent five years at Bankrate as a lead credit cards editor. You can find her jogging through Austin, TX, or playing tourist in her free time.

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The deadline for submitting your FAFSA form for the 2023-2024 school year is June 30, 2024. However, you should submit the form long before then. Early submission increases your odds of receiving aid in multiple ways, and you would miss out on entire semesters’ worth of aid if you waited until June to file.

The more important date to keep in mind is when FAFSA opens, so you can be at the top of the list when colleges and government organizations go to award financial aid.

When Does FAFSA Open?

FAFSA is already open for the 2023-2024 school year. Usually, the FAFSA form for an upcoming school year becomes available in October of the year prior. For example, the 2023-2024 FAFSA form opened in October 2022.

The FAFSA form for the 2024-2025 school year will open in December 2023. This is a bit later than usual because the Department of Education is introducing a new, simplified FAFSA form.

What Do I Need To File My FAFSA?

According to the Department of Education, it takes most people less than an hour to complete the FAFSA form, and that includes the time it takes to gather documents. To help the process go smoothly, you should:

Decide on at least one school you’re interested in attending
Gather the required documents and data
Set aside a dedicated time for you and your guardian(s) to fill out the form

An FSA ID

Before you get started with the form, the Department of Education strongly recommends making an FSA ID, which is a username and password for an online account that allows your FAFSA to be processed digitally. You can make an FSA ID after submitting the FAFSA form online, but creating the ID first reduces the possibility of delays and errors.

When creating your FSA ID, be sure that your name and Social Security number match your Social Security card exactly. If there’s a discrepancy between your FAFSA form and FSA ID, the process can be delayed significantly.

If you’re a dependent student (most prospective freshmen are), one of your parents will also need an FSA ID to sign the form electronically. If your parent isn’t able to create an FSA ID (for example, if they do not have a Social Security number, which is required), you can print the signature page at the end of the form and have them sign it manually.

Note: You will need your parent’s FSA ID, but only at the end of the form. Do not start the form using your parent’s FSA ID.

Personal Information

Like any government form, the FAFSA form asks a lot of personal questions. Be prepared to provide your Social Security number, your driver’s license number and basic contact information like your address. If you’re applying as a dependent student, your parents will need to provide the same data.

The Schools You’re Considering

FAFSA requires you to list at least one school you’re interested in attending. The school(s) you list will receive your information and use it to determine the financial aid they offer you (in addition to the federal aid you’re applying for).

You can list up to 10 schools on your FAFSA form when filing digitally. Each school has a federal code, which you can find using the Federal School Code Search.

The order of the schools you list doesn’t matter for federal aid, but it may matter for state aid. For example, some states require you to list a state school first in order to be eligible for state grants.

Tax Records

Because FAFSA is all about determining financial need, you’ll have to provide a lot of information about your income and your parents’ income. If you or your parents received any of the following tax forms, be sure to have them handy:

IRS Form W-2
IRS Form 1040
Foreign tax return or IRS Form 1040-NR
Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia or Palau

Income Information

You’ll be asked about your untaxed income, as well as your parents’ untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income and veterans noneducation benefits.

Lastly, FAFSA wants to know how much cash your family has. That includes savings and checking accounts, investments (including stocks, bonds and real estate) and business assets. Again, that applies to both you and your parents if you’re applying as a dependent.

Federal FAFSA Deadline 2023-2024

The deadline for submitting your FAFSA form for the 2023-2024 school year is June 30, 2024. Corrections or updates to a previously submitted form are due September 14, 2024.

Just because you’re allowed to submit your form until June 2024 doesn’t mean there aren’t disadvantages to waiting that long. For example, if you wait until June 2024 to file your FAFSA form, you’ll have passed the deadlines for receiving aid for the fall ‘23 and spring ‘24 semesters. It would only apply to the summer ‘24 session.

Also, many types of financial aid are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying early increases your odds of receiving aid. Plus, colleges have their own deadlines for financial aid that can be earlier, so it makes sense to submit your FAFSA form as soon as possible.

State and School FAFSA Deadline 2023-2024

Once you complete your FAFSA form, you’re in the running for federal student aid. However, individual states and schools use that information to award their own aid—from scholarships to grants to loans. And their deadlines are often far earlier than the federal deadline.

For example, Connecticut’s FAFSA deadline for the 2023–2024 school year was February 15, 2023, while Delaware’s deadline was May 15, 2023. Schools are equally disjointed, each with its own deadline. That’s why it makes sense to file your FAFSA form as soon as possible to avoid missing any state, school or federal deadlines.

At the very least, check with your state and any universities you’re interested in attending so that you can maximize your odds of receiving financial aid.

What if I Need To Change My FAFSA?

If you need to correct anything on your FAFSA form, you can do so by logging in to your StudentAid.gov account using your FSA ID. Navigate to the online FAFSA form, then select “Make Corrections.” Here you can add or remove colleges from your application, change your email or mailing address and change any field on your FAFSA form other than your Social Security number. (You can find information on updating an incorrect Social Security number here.)

As noted above, any FAFSA corrections for the 2023–2024 school year must be submitted by Sept. 14, 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I File FAFSA Without a Social Security Number?

Unfortunately, no. The FAFSA form requires a Social Security number. You also need a Social Security number to create an FSA ID, which allows you to file your FAFSA form electronically.

Usually, undocumented students aren’t able to get a Social Security number, making them ineligible for federal student aid through FAFSA.

Can I Get Help Filing My FAFSA?

Yes. Within the online form, you can select the white question mark icon next to a question for more information. You can also visit the FAFSA Help page to find answers to common questions or contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center.

The financial aid office of the school you plan to attend can also help with FAFSA filing.

Can You Still Apply for FAFSA After Deadline?

You’ll have two different deadlines to track for using the FAFSA to apply for aid. Schools have their own deadlines for consideration, but you still might be able to get aid even if you submit your FAFSA after the deadline set by the school. Alternatively, the Department of Education has a deadline of June 30 to submit for aid for that academic year. If you miss the June deadline, you’re no longer eligible.

Is FAFSA First Come, First Served?

Depending on the school’s policies and available programs, you may receive certain types of aid on a first come, first served basis. These programs might include grant and need-based scholarships programs that use the FAFSA to determine eligibility, and might also include available Federal Work-Study.

What Is My Dependency Status?

According to U.S. Department of Education, an independent student is defined as “one of the following: born before Jan. 1, 2000, married, a graduate or professional student, a veteran, a member of the armed forces, an orphan, a ward of the court, someone with legal dependents other than a spouse, an emancipated minor [or] someone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.”

If none of those situations apply to you, you’re likely a dependent student, and you’ll need to provide your parents’ information in addition to your own on your FAFSA form.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. We may earn a commission from partner links on Newsweek, but commissions do not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.

Mariah Ackary

Contributor

Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The TODAY Show, The Wall Street Journal, Business Insider and many more top media outlets.