FAFSA Renewal: 3 Steps to a Pain-Free Application

A FAFSA renewal is easy to submit, but you should complete it early and double check all pre-filled information.
Anna Helhoski
By Anna Helhoski 
Updated
Edited by Alexandra Rice

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When can I update my FAFSA application? The redesigned FAFSA for the 2024-25 academic year is available at FAFSA.gov. Due to major processing delays, you won't be able to make changes to your submitted FAFSA until the first half of April, at the soonest.

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

Applying for financial aid isn't just for incoming college freshmen. You must submit a renewal FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — each year you plan to attend college. The sometimes lengthy process should be easier than it was before. Here are a few tips to make the FAFSA renewal as pain-free as possible.

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Ensure pre-filled information is accurate

When you log in to the Federal Student Aid website with your Federal Student Aid ID, the system will recognize that you completed a FAFSA last year. Your name, contact information and other identifying information will be pre-filled on the form, which saves applicants at least 10 minutes, says Denise Scalzo, executive director of financial aid administration at Manhattan College.

It’s crucial to make sure the data imported is correct, though, says Jacquelynn Mol Sletten, financial aid administrator for the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. Because it’s based on your situation from the previous year, it won’t record address or school changes, for example.

“The FAFSA includes an assumed logic that can sometimes add incorrect information for the current FAFSA year,” she says.

Catching an error now means you won’t have to correct it later, which could delay your financial aid award.

Import income information automatically

You and your parents must enter up-to-date financial information so your school can determine how much aid to give you. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (or the Direct Data Exchange for the 2024-25 FAFSA and beyond) makes it easy by letting you import your income information from the correct tax return to your FAFSA.

Students can typically file their FAFSA in October using tax information from two years prior. For example, if you filed on Oct. 1, 2022, you could use 2021 income tax data for your 2023-24 FAFSA. Families are no longer expected to use estimated income information and correct it after they've completed their taxes.

File your FAFSA renewal early in the cycle

It’s ideal to file your FAFSA as close to the open date as possible. That’s because some types of financial aid are first-come, first-served, and they don’t carry over even if you received them last year.

“Self-help funds, like college work-study, run out fast,” Scalzo says.

Schools and states have their own financial aid deadlines, which are often earlier than the federal FAFSA deadline of June 30, 2024, for the 2023-24 application.

Don’t forget that the FAFSA can help you get aid no matter your family’s income. Even if you think you won’t qualify for need-based aid like the Pell Grant, the FAFSA could help you get scholarships from private organizations or merit aid from your school.

“Even if a student is not eligible for federal or state grant funding, the FAFSA may be used for institutional aid,” says Mol, referring to funds that come directly from a college or university.

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