FAFSA deadline for 2025-2026 - conflicting information?

The FAFSA has three different types of deadlines you need to be aware of: 1. Federal deadline: June 30, 2026 for the 2025-2026 academic year. This is the absolute final deadline for federal submission. 2. State deadlines: These vary by state and are often much earlier than the federal deadline. Some states award aid on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are depleted. 3. School/institutional deadlines: Each college sets their own priority deadlines for financial aid consideration, which can be as early as February or March 2025 for the 2025-2026 academic year. The most important deadline is usually the earliest one that applies to you. I'd recommend checking your specific state's deadline at StudentAid.gov and contacting each school you're applying to for their priority financial aid deadlines.

in my state (california) the deadline is way earlier than the federal one, like March 2 i think. i almost missed it last year and didnt get state grants bcuz of it

While the federal deadline (June 30, 2026) is the final cutoff, this is NOT the deadline you should be aiming for. Here's what I always tell students: - Federal deadline (June 30, 2026): This is only relevant for federal loans. By this point, most grant money is long gone. - State deadlines: These vary dramatically. For example: • California: March 2, 2025 • Illinois: As soon as possible after Oct 1, 2024 • Texas: January 15, 2025 • New York: June 30, 2025 - School deadlines: These are often the earliest and most important! Some competitive private schools have priority deadlines as early as February 1. The real answer: You should complete your FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1, 2024 (when the 2025-2026 application opens). Don't wait for deadlines - many aid programs have limited funding and award on a first-come, first-served basis.

Different schools definitely have different deadlines! My daughter applied to 5 schools and had to keep track of 5 different priority deadlines for financial aid - the earliest was February 1 and the latest was April 15. She nearly missed one and it was super stressful.

the REAL deadline is actually Oct 1 cuz thats when the good money runs out lol. the june deadline is just when they stop taking applications altogether but by then ur getting loans only and no free money at all. learned this the hard way :

I've been trying to call the Federal Student Aid office for clarification on some deadline questions for two weeks and kept getting disconnected or facing 2+ hour wait times. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through, and they connected me in under 15 minutes. Saved me so much frustration! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ As for your question, the agent confirmed that while June 30, 2026 is technically the federal deadline, every state and institution has their own (much earlier) deadlines. They recommended filing as close to October 1, 2024 as possible to maximize your aid eligibility.

The whole deadline system is a JOKE and deliberately confusing!!! My cousin filed by the "deadline" (the federal June 30 one) last year and ended up with ZERO grants because all the school and state money was gone. These different deadlines are just a way to trick students who don't have parents who understand the system. It's financial aid gatekeeping and it's GROSS.

To directly answer your question about where to find all the different deadlines: 1. Federal deadline: Always June 30 at the end of the academic year (so June 30, 2026 for 2025-2026 aid) 2. State deadlines: You can find these at: https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/fafsa-deadlines (they update this page each year) 3. School deadlines: You need to check each school's financial aid website or contact their financial aid office directly This is why we always recommend submitting the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1. It's the only way to ensure you don't miss any deadlines.