Does submitting FAFSA early increase merit aid chances? Time-sensitive funding question

YES, timing absolutely matters! We found this out the hard way with my daughter last year. Even though FAFSA technically doesn't have a strict deadline until June, many colleges operate on a first-come, first-served basis for their institutional aid (both need-based AND merit). The way it was explained to me by a financial aid officer: colleges have internal priority deadlines that aren't always advertised. Submit by these unofficial early deadlines, and your kids are considered for the full pool of available aid. Submit later, and certain funds might already be committed to earlier applicants. For your twins with different GPAs, I'd recommend getting both applications in ASAP. The one with higher grades will likely get more merit regardless, but early submission helps maximize what's available for both.

timing doesnt matter for fafsa itself, but schools have different deadlines for scholarships. check each school your kids applying to for priority deadlines. some are dec 1, others feb 1. miss those = less money usually

Financial aid director here - this is more complicated than most people realize. A few key points: 1. Federal aid (Pell Grants, direct loans) doesn't run out, so FAFSA timing doesn't affect those. 2. For institutional aid (both merit and need-based from the college itself), each school handles this differently. Some truly do have limited funds that are allocated as SAI calculations are processed, while others set aside specific amounts for merit regardless of application timing. 3. Merit scholarships often have separate applications and deadlines from FAFSA - make sure you're tracking those separately. 4. The different GPAs between your twins will likely result in different merit aid regardless of timing. 5. For 2025-2026 applications, I strongly recommend applying as soon as the FAFSA opens on October 1st. With the new FAFSA system, processing times have been unpredictable, and earlier submission gives you a buffer for any corrections needed. Best approach: Submit FAFSA early, then immediately contact each school's financial aid office to confirm you've met their priority deadlines for institutional aid.

Tbh I think this whole "apply early" thing is overblown. My son applied in February last year (way after "priority deadlines") and still got a decent package. Depends more on the schools than timing

I actually tested this theory with my kids (3 years apart). With my oldest, we submitted FAFSA in December. For my youngest, we submitted opening day (October). Same financial situation both times, similar grades. Youngest got about $3,500 MORE in institutional grants at the same state university. Financial aid office straight-up told me it was because they still had more funds available when they processed his earlier application. BUT - and this is important - the merit scholarships were identical because those were strictly GPA/test score based with separate deadlines. So for your twins: the higher GPA will get more merit regardless of FAFSA timing, but submitting early could potentially get both of them more need-based institutional grants.

Hey! I had this EXACT situation with my twins last year!!! OMG the whole process was SOOO stressful. One had a 4.0 and one had a 3.5. We submitted FAFSA on day one (Oct 1) and I'm really glad we did because the whole system was a mess. Took FOREVER to process. If I could go back and tell myself one thing, it would be to call each financial aid office and ask specifically about their "priority filing deadline" for BOTH need and merit aid. Some schools told us Dec 1, others said Feb 15. Each has their own system! And yes, my higher GPA twin did get more merit overall, even though their need was identical. About $7k more per year!

I worked in university admissions for 6 years. Here's what students don't realize: schools absolutely have aid budgets that can run dry. While the formulas for calculating eligibility don't change, the available funds do diminish throughout the cycle. The real secret: many schools have an internal "preferred packaging" period - usually applications received before December get the most attractive aid packages with higher grant-to-loan ratios. Later applications might get the same total "aid" amount but with more loans and less free money. For your twins, I'd recommend applying ASAP, but also making sure they've applied for separate merit scholarships at each school (often different forms/deadlines than FAFSA).

i got my fafsa in late last yr (like march lol) an still got decent aid so idk if its rly that big a deal tbh

Has anyone tried Claimyr for getting through to FAFSA? We had SUCH trouble last year with the new system and could never get through on the phone. A friend recommended claimyr.com and it actually worked - got us connected to a FAFSA agent in like 15 minutes when we'd been trying for weeks. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ that shows how it works. Definitely keeping this in my back pocket for this year's application!

Coming back to your specific question about twins with different GPAs: Focus on merit scholarship deadlines separately from FAFSA. For FAFSA and need-based aid: Submit October 1st for both twins to maximize their need-based institutional aid chances. For merit aid: Make sure your higher-GPA twin applies for every competitive scholarship available, especially ones requiring separate applications. The GPA difference will almost certainly result in different merit packages regardless of timing. Also - don't forget to check if any of your schools require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. That's a separate form with its own deadlines, and many private schools use it for institutional aid decisions.

As someone who just went through this process with my daughter, I can confirm that early submission really does matter! We submitted her FAFSA on October 1st last year and I'm convinced it made a difference in her aid package. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - keep detailed records of what you submit and when. With the FAFSA system issues we've had, having timestamps and confirmation numbers saved us when we had to prove we submitted by certain deadlines. Also, for your twins specifically: even though they have different GPAs, make sure you're applying to a good mix of schools for both. Sometimes a student with a 3.7 GPA can get better merit aid at a school where they're in the top 25% of applicants than a 4.1 student would get at a more competitive school where they're average. Strategic school selection can be just as important as application timing! Good luck with both of them - the twin college application process is definitely a marathon, not a sprint!

As a financial aid counselor, I want to emphasize something that hasn't been fully addressed yet: the impact of FAFSA corrections and verification on timing benefits. Even if you submit early, if your FAFSA gets selected for verification (which happens to about 30% of applications), the back-and-forth documentation process can delay your aid packaging significantly. This is why submitting on October 1st is even more critical - it gives you a buffer for potential verification delays. For your twins, I'd recommend: 1. Have all tax documents ready before October 1st 2. Double-check all information before submitting to avoid corrections 3. Respond to any verification requests immediately 4. Consider using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when it becomes available Also, since you mentioned conflicting advice from your guidance counselor - many high school counselors aren't up-to-date on the latest FAFSA changes. I'd recommend connecting directly with financial aid offices at your target schools. They'll give you the most accurate information about their specific priority deadlines and aid allocation processes. The bottom line: early submission protects you from both limited funding scenarios AND processing delays. With twins, you really can't afford to take chances on either front.

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As a parent of college-bound kids myself, I wanted to add one more perspective on the timing question. I've noticed that many families get so focused on the FAFSA submission date that they forget about the equally important step of filing their taxes early. Since FAFSA uses prior-prior year tax info, you'll need your 2023 tax return completed to submit the 2025-2026 FAFSA in October. Here's what I learned: if you file your taxes early (like January or February), you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool right away when FAFSA opens in October. This makes the whole process smoother and reduces errors that could trigger verification. For families with twins like yours, this early tax filing strategy is even more valuable because you're essentially doing double the work. Getting organized early will save you stress later! One last tip: create a shared spreadsheet tracking each school's specific deadlines for FAFSA, CSS Profile, merit scholarships, and any supplemental forms. With two kids applying to multiple schools, staying organized is crucial to not missing any opportunities.

As a parent who went through this exact situation with twins last year, I can't stress enough how much early FAFSA submission helped us! We submitted on October 1st and I'm convinced it made a real difference in our aid packages. Here's what I learned that might help you: the timing matters MORE for institutional aid than federal aid, but the key is that schools often bundle everything together in their initial offer letters. When we submitted early, both twins got better grant-to-loan ratios in their packages compared to friends who applied later at the same schools. For your twins with different GPAs (3.7 vs 4.1), the merit differences will likely be substantial regardless of timing - we saw about a $5K per year difference between our twins. But the need-based institutional grants were similar for both when we applied early. My biggest recommendation: create a master calendar with EVERY deadline for BOTH kids - FAFSA priority dates, CSS Profile deadlines, individual scholarship applications, and school-specific forms. With twins, it's so easy to miss something important. Also, definitely file your 2023 taxes as early as possible so you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool right when FAFSA opens. The early submission strategy worked so well for us that I'm already planning to help my younger daughter apply on October 1st when her time comes!

As a parent who just finished this process with my son last year, I want to emphasize something that really helped us - don't just focus on the FAFSA timing, but also pay attention to state aid deadlines! Many states have their own priority deadlines for state grants that can be even earlier than college deadlines. For example, in our state, the priority deadline for state grants was February 1st, but some of the colleges my son applied to had March deadlines. We almost missed out on $2,000 per year in state aid because we were so focused on the federal and institutional deadlines. Also, with twins, definitely check if your state offers any special programs or additional aid for multiple kids in college simultaneously. Some states have provisions that can increase your aid when you have multiple children enrolled at the same time. I'd recommend making a three-column spreadsheet: federal deadlines, state deadlines, and individual school deadlines. This saved us from missing any opportunities and might be especially helpful when you're managing applications for two kids at once!