FAFSA with two kids in college - who fills out what first for 2025/26 application?

Yes, that's correct! Under the new FAFSA system, each student initiates their own application first by going to studentaid.gov and creating their FSA ID if they don't already have one. After they start their application and enter their basic info, they'll be prompted to add contributor information - that's where they'll enter your email address. You'll then receive an email invitation to complete your portion. This is different from the old system where parents could start the process. Now it's student-driven, and you as the parent are considered a "contributor" to their applications.

my daughter started college last fall and yes the student HAS to do their part first then u get an email to do the parent part!! its super annoying cuz my daughter kept forgetting to do it lol and i couldnt start without her

Just to add some important information - with the simplified FAFSA for 2025-26, having multiple students in college no longer provides the same automatic boost to aid eligibility that it once did. The old "divided by number of college students" EFC calculation has been replaced with the Student Aid Index (SAI). However, each student will still need to list you as a contributor, and you'll need to provide your financial information for each application separately (though you can use the same contributor FSA ID for both). Also, make sure both students list all colleges they're considering on their FAFSA. The order doesn't matter anymore, but having complete information is important for aid packaging purposes.

I went through this NIGHTMARE last year with my twins!! The FAFSA is such a mess with the new system. Each kid has to start their own application and then you get separate emails for each one to fill out your part. BUT THEN after you submit everything the website kept crashing and I kept getting error messages and could never talk to anyone to fix it!!!!! We almost missed deadlines because of it and I was FURIOUS. The colleges were understanding but it was so stressful.

just make sure ur kids actually do their part first lol my son waited till last minute and we almost missed priority deadline

One thing nobody mentioned - make sure both your students AND you as the parent have different email addresses linked to your FSA IDs. My daughter and I used the same email for her freshman year application and it caused all kinds of access problems. For your situation with two students plus parent, you'll need three separate email addresses to manage everything smoothly.

To answer your question from earlier - you'll need to complete your contributor section separately for each student. When the first student adds you as a contributor and you receive that email, you'll create your FSA ID (if you don't already have one) and complete your portion for that student. Then when your second child adds you as a contributor, you'll use the same FSA ID to log in, but complete a separate contributor section for them. The good news is that for 2025-26, the FAFSA will have direct data transfer from the IRS, so you won't need to manually enter all your tax information. This should make the process smoother than previous years, even with multiple applications.

my sisters kid and mine were both in college last year and she said to apply as early as possible!! the new fafsa is a mess and takes FOREVER to process so dont wait till deadline!!

One final piece of advice: since the 2025-26 FAFSA will be evaluating your 2023 tax year information, start gathering documentation now for any significant financial changes that have occurred since 2023. If your income has decreased or you've had major expenses arise, you'll want to prepare for potential professional judgment appeals at each institution. Also, with two in college, don't overlook the CSS Profile if your students are applying to private institutions. Unlike the FAFSA, the CSS Profile still factors in multiple family members in college when determining aid eligibility at many private schools.

As a new parent to this process, I'm finding all this information incredibly helpful! I have twin juniors in high school who will both be starting college in fall 2026, so I'm trying to learn everything I can now. Quick question - when you mention that each student needs to start their own application first, do they both need to complete their entire student portion before I can do anything as a parent? Or can I start working on my contributor section for the first child while the second is still working on their application?