When Is the FAFSA Deadline?

You can submit the 2023-24 FAFSA until June 30, 2024. File early for the best chance of getting more financial aid.
Anna Helhoski
By Anna Helhoski 
Updated
Edited by Des Toups

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Is the new FAFSA available? After a weeklong "soft-launch" period, the redesigned FAFSA for the 2024-25 academic year is now available 24/7 at FAFSA.gov. Due to major processing delays, you won't be able to make changes to your submitted FAFSA until mid-March, at the soonest.

You can still submit the 2023-24 FAFSA until June 30, 2024.

Dive deeper into FAFSA

You have to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, for each school year to qualify for aid like grants, scholarships, federal work-study and federal student loans.

But deadlines vary for federal, state and institutional aid. It's important to remember the FAFSA open and close date, which is usually Oct. 1 and June 30, respectively. This year's FAFSA soft launched in late December 2023.

FAFSA open date and deadline

Academic year

FAFSA open date

Federal FAFSA deadline

2023-24

Oct. 1, 2022

June 30, 2024

2024-25

December 2023

June 30, 2025 tentatively

File your FAFSA for next year ASAP

Generally, the FAFSA opens on Oct. 1 each year. The FAFSA for the 2024-25 academic year is an exception as it did not go live until late December, and only intermittently at that. File your FAFSA as close to the open date as possible to improve your chances of qualifying for the most grant, scholarship and work-study aid.

FAFSA applications for the 2023-24 school year opened on Oct. 1, 2022, with a deadline of June 30, 2024.

Certain aid is awarded to students who apply the earliest, such as federal work-study dollars and many state and institutional grants and scholarships.

Student loans from our partners

Sallie Mae Undergraduate Student Loan logo
Check Rate

on Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Sallie Mae Undergraduate Student Loan logo

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Fixed APR 

4.5% - 15.49%

Min. credit score 

Mid-600's

Check Rate

on Sallie Mae

College Ave Private Student Loan logo
Check Rate

on College Ave

College Ave

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
College Ave Private Student Loan logo

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Fixed APR 

4.07% - 15.48%

Min. credit score 

Mid-600s

Check Rate

on College Ave

Ascent Private Student Loan logo
Check Rate

on Ascent

Ascent

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Ascent Private Student Loan logo

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Fixed APR 

4.09% - 15.71%

Min. credit score 

Low-Mid 600s

Check Rate

on Ascent

File your FAFSA for last year by June 30

The federal government gives students a deadline of June 30 after the school year in which they need aid. For example, a June 30, 2023 deadline is for the 2022-23 school year.

But you must submit the form much earlier to meet state and college financial aid deadlines and to get your aid dollars in time for the start of the school year.

You only have to file the FAFSA once to be eligible for all three types of aid. Here’s what you need to know about each.

State and institutional FAFSA deadlines

States and individual colleges set their own FAFSA deadlines, typically much earlier than the federal one. You must file your application by these deadlines to qualify for state and institutional grants and scholarships.

If you’re attending an out-of-state school, you may not qualify for state aid — check with the state to see if you do. Find your state financial aid deadline on the Federal Student Aid website. Note that it may be later than prior years due to the delayed opening of the 2024-25 FAFSA.

NerdWalletTaxes Logo

Simple tax filing with a $50 flat fee for every scenario

With NerdWallet Taxes powered by Column Tax, registered NerdWallet members pay one fee, regardless of your tax situation. Plus, you'll get free support from tax experts. Sign up for access today.

for a NerdWallet account

illustration

Federal FAFSA deadline

The federal deadline is the last day you can submit the FAFSA each year. If you need financial aid for the 2023-24 school year, you can submit the form until June 30, 2024.

Work-study dollars and most state and institutional aid will run out the fastest, but there will still be time to qualify for federal grants and student loans.

Even if you wait until June 30, you can receive these grants and loans retroactively to cover what you’ve already paid for the spring and fall semesters. Or, depending on your school, you may be able to apply the funds to pay for 2023 summer school.

Frequently asked questions

The FAFSA typically opens on Oct. 1 each year. For the 2024-25 academic year it soft launched in late December and was initially available only intermittently.

Apply for the FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens. Applying early gives you the best chance at getting the most free money for school.

The 2023-24 school year FAFSA is due June 30, 2024. Corrections are due Sept. 14, 2024.

Yes, apply for the FAFSA once it opens, even if that's before you have applied or been accepted to any colleges. When filling out the FAFSA, you only have to list one of the colleges you're considering applying to. Still, it is best to include all the colleges you are considering so you don't miss out on any financial aid. You can still add colleges after you submit the FAFSA.

Next steps

Track colleges’ financial aid deadlines. Priority deadlines at individual schools often fall the earliest, so those deadlines are the most important to track. Those dates are also the best chance to get the most aid. Look up the deadlines for all of the schools you’re applying to and write them down in one place — try using your phone’s calendar, a spreadsheet or a notebook dedicated to your college search.

Submit any other financial aid applications. Many schools require additional or alternative financial aid applications, such as the CSS Profile, to qualify for state or institutional aid. You'll need to submit all the required paperwork before the deadline to be considered for aid.

Complete the FAFSA ASAP. The open date is not a deadline, but submitting your FAFSA once it's available lets you know where you stand with federal aid sooner.

Wait for your financial aid award letter, which details how much free aid you qualify for and how much in federal loans you can borrow. You may appeal your award if you didn’t get enough aid.

You can make changes to the FAFSA after you've applied. If you spot an error or you need more aid due to a change in your family's finances, you can update the FAFSA before the corrections deadline:

Go to fafsa.gov. Click the "Log In" button and type in your FSA ID. Once on the "My FAFSA" page, click "Make Corrections." You can then make a save key, edit your FAFSA and resubmit your application.

Get pre-qualified in just 3 minutes with Credible
Check multiple student loan lenders to get accurate, pre-qualified rates with no impact to your credit score.

Powered by

Spot your saving opportunities
See your spending breakdown to show your top spending trends and where you can cut back.