How to Make FAFSA Corrections and Updates

If you made a mistake on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) — for example, leaving a question blank or answering it incorrectly — you can fix it after the Education Department processes your form.

The corrections process for the new 2024-25 FAFSA became available to students and families on April 16, following a months-long delay. More than one million FAFSAs — roughly 16% of the 7 million forms submitted so far — include user errors that must be corrected, the Education Department said on April 9.

» MORE: What you can do about FAFSA errors and delays

To make a FAFSA correction, log into your StudentAid.gov account and navigate to your main dashboard. Scroll down to the “My Activity” section and select the form you want to fix. A summary of your processed FAFSA will pop up. At the top right corner of that page, select “Actions,” then select “Make Corrections.”

If you’re a dependent student, and the correction impacts information about your parents, a parent must sign the FAFSA again.

There are some specific, common errors affecting students who filled out the 2024-25 FAFSA. You should correct your FAFSA if:

• You’re a dependent student, but you didn’t provide parent information.

• Your form is missing a contributor’s consent or signature. 

• You used an incorrect Social Security number. 

For step-by-step instructions on fixing these specific FAFSA errors, visit the StudentAid.gov FAFSA corrections help page. In most cases, you may also contact the college you plan to attend and ask them to make the FAFSA corrections on your behalf.

The FAFSA unlocks college financial aid such as Pell grants, work-study programs and federal student loans, so it’s important that you correct any errors on the form as soon as possible.

Keep reading for more details about FAFSA corrections.

How to add or delete a school on your FAFSA

When you submit the FAFSA, you can list up to 20 schools to receive your financial information.

You can add or remove different institutions after submission. If you’ve already included 20 schools, each addition must replace an existing school on your list. Remember that schools you remove from the application won’t receive any information about further updates to your FAFSA.

Here’s how to update your school list:

1. Go to the “My Activity” section of your dashboard and select your processed 2024-25 FAFSA form.

2. At the top-right corner, select “Actions”, then select the “Add or Remove Schools”.

3. Search for the school by entering either the state, city and/or school name, then select “Search.” If you don’t see the schools you want to add via the search function, type in their federal school codes. 

4. Select the schools you want to add from the search results. 

5. Submit the update.

When is the FAFSA corrections deadline?

For the 2023-24 FAFSA, the Education Department’s deadline for corrections is Sept. 14, 2024. For the 2024-25 form, you have until Sept. 14, 2025 to make corrections.

Don’t delay, though: it’s important to submit the FAFSA (and any necessary corrections) as soon as possible. Most states and colleges set their FAFSA submission and correction deadlines earlier than the Education Department does. Plus, some aid comes from a limited pool and is first-come, first-serve.

» MORE: Your common FAFSA questions answered

If you have trouble, contact your school’s financial aid office. They may be able to make FAFSA changes for you.

How to update tax information on the FAFSA

Starting with the 2024-25 form, families must consent to the IRS directly transferring their federal tax information to their FAFSA form. As a result, you cannot change or correct tax information on the form manually.

However, if you filed an amended tax return, your financial aid eligibility could change. In this case, reach out to your college’s financial aid office to discuss next steps. The school can adjust your FAFSA information if necessary.

» MORE: How to check Your FAFSA status

What if my financial situation changed after I filed the FAFSA?

The financial information on your FAFSA must be accurate as of the day you submitted the form. So, if your circumstances have changed since then — maybe your family income or dependency status changed — that's not a reason to update or correct your FAFSA.

Instead, reach out to your college’s financial aid office to explain your situation and ask about next steps. They can work with you to update your financial aid package.