FAFSA basics: Student vs. parent accounts, yearly requirements & college selection questions

1. Yes, you and your daughter will need separate accounts on studentaid.gov with different email addresses. She'll create her account with her info and you'll create a separate one as a contributor. 2. Yes, you must complete FAFSA every single year she's in college. No exceptions. 3. No! That's actually one of the best things about FAFSA - you can list up to 10 schools when you apply and they'll all receive her financial info. She doesn't need to decide until later.

Let me clarify a couple things: 1. You and your daughter both need accounts, but there's a specific process. She creates her account first, then adds you as a contributor. You'll get an email invitation to create your contributor account. 2. Yes, FAFSA must be submitted annually. The 2025-2026 FAFSA opens December 1, 2025. Mark your calendar to complete it early each year - aid can be first-come, first-served. 3. Correct, she can list multiple schools. But remember the 10-school limit. If she's considering more than 10, you can submit with the first 10, then go back and modify the FAFSA later to add different schools. One important note: when creating accounts, you'll both need FSA IDs. These require your SSNs and take 1-3 days to verify, so don't wait until December 1st to set those up!

Hey there! Just went through this with my son last year. A few things I learned: 1. Start by both getting FSA IDs NOW at studentaid.gov/fsa-id - don't wait for Dec 1st for this step! 2. Your daughter creates her FAFSA account first (she's the "student"), then she'll add you as a "contributor" when she starts her application in December. 3. For school selection - here's a pro tip: list schools in a specific order. Put state schools first in the list, then private colleges. Some state grant programs look at the order and prioritize in-state options. 4. Reapplying yearly is annoying but gets MUCH faster after year 1 since a lot of info carries over. Also, go ahead and gather your 2024 tax returns and W-2s now - you'll need those for the 2025-2026 FAFSA.

I'm in the same boat! My son is also graduating in 2026. The whole process is SO confusing. Our school did a financial aid night but it just made me more confused lol. I didn't even know about needing two separate accounts until reading this thread. Thanks everyone for the info!

OMG I MESSED THIS UP SO BAD LAST YEAR!!! 😭 I created my account first and my daughter never got properly linked as the student. Then we had to call and fix everything which took FOREVER. Definitely have your DAUGHTER create her account first, then she adds you! And YES you have to do this stupid thing EVERY SINGLE YEAR. My daughter's a junior now and I've done it twice, getting ready for round 3. It gets easier but it's still annoying. Don't worry about picking colleges yet - that's the least stressful part honestly!!!

Ignore what some people are saying about the order of schools. It DOESNT MATTER what order you list schools for federal aid. That's an old myth from the previous FAFSA. Now they explicitly say it doesn't matter for federal aid purposes. HOWEVER - some states do look at the order for state-specific grants. So check your state's financial aid website to see if they have any preferences.

Just don't make the same mistake I did waiting until February to submit! My daughter lost out on so much aid because funds were already given to students who submitted earlier. The December 1 open date is IMPORTANT - try to submit within the first couple weeks if possible!

To clarify a few points of confusion in this thread: 1. Federal aid (Pell Grants, Direct Loans, etc.) is NOT first-come, first-served. Your eligibility is determined by your Student Aid Index (SAI) from your FAFSA. 2. However, campus-based aid (work-study, some scholarships) and many state grants ARE first-come, first-served. This is why submitting early is still important. 3. School order no longer matters for federal aid, but some states do use it for state aid programs. 4. The 2025-2026 FAFSA will require both student and contributors (parents) to create accounts, with the student initiating the process. The most important advice: create FSA IDs early, gather tax documents, and submit as close to December 1st as possible.

dont worry about the college selection!!!! my son changed his mind 3x after we submitted fafsa. u can log back in and update the school list anytime. just make sure u do it b4 she accepts admission somewhere

As someone who just went through this process with my oldest child last year, I want to add a few practical tips that helped us stay organized: 1. Create a dedicated email folder for all FAFSA communications - you'll get A LOT of emails from schools once you submit. 2. Keep a simple spreadsheet with your daughter's college choices, their FAFSA school codes, and deadlines. Some schools have earlier priority deadlines even though FAFSA opens Dec 1st. 3. Don't panic if the website is slow or crashes on December 1st - it happens every year with everyone trying to submit at once. Just keep trying or wait a day or two. 4. After you submit, you'll get a Student Aid Report (SAR) - review it carefully for errors because corrections can delay processing. The whole thing feels overwhelming at first but honestly once you do it the first time, it becomes much more manageable. You've got plenty of time to prepare since you're starting early!