FAFSA Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid
The best way to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is early, online, and without any mistakes. If you aren't yet ready to file a FAFSA, the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Estimator can help you estimate your eligibility for federal student aid by providing some basic information.
Here are things to keep in mind when filling out the FAFSA this fall:
- Apply Early. Many states and colleges use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for non-federal student aid funds that may have early deadlines or limited funding. The sooner you complete the FAFSA, the more aid you could be eligible for. The FAFSA typically opens by October 1 each year for the following academic year.
- Apply Online. Online applications are easier to complete than the paper application because they use skip-logic to ask only relevant questions. In addition, online applications will be processed faster and will likely be more accurate because the FAFSA website is designed to catch common errors. If you're filling out the paper FAFSA, be sure all contributors sign it.
- Be Prepared. Make sure that you and your contributors have created your studentaid.gov username and password, which you’ll use to complete the FAFSA online. And while data sharing has streamlined the process and made it possible for some information to be automatically filled into your form, it’s good to have important documents on hand, such as your Social Security number, government-issued identification document, tax returns from two years prior (2025 tax return for 2027-28 FAFSA), and current bank statements.
- Be Aware of Deadlines. While there is technically no deadline to apply for federal aid — students can complete the FAFSA at any time during the award year — states and institutions may have deadlines for distributing their own aid, many of which are first-come, first-served.
- Double Check Personal Information. Be sure to enter personal information correctly. This includes your legal name, just as it appears on your Social Security Card, Social Security number, proper marital status of you and your parent(s) if applicable, as of the date the FAFSA is filed, and your permanent address. Mistakes can delay the processing of your application. Remember, the FAFSA uses tax data from the prior-prior year.
- List All Potential Schools. You can list up to 20 schools to receive your FAFSA information, so be sure to include any school you are considering applying to. Leaving a school off the list means they won’t receive your information, and adding them later could delay receiving financial aid information — or even mean missing out on some altogether.
Get Help
Check the Help section of the FAFSA website or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4‐FED AID (1-800-433-3243). The Department of Education also provides answers to frequently asked questions about the FAFSA, and FAFSA on the Web Live Help, a secure online chat session that allows you to ask questions of customer service representatives.
