Need to reapply for FAFSA 2025-2026 after daughter's spring 2024-2025 approval?

Yes, you'll need to fill out the 2025-2026 FAFSA for any aid your daughter needs beyond Spring 2025. The 2025-2026 FAFSA application opened on December 1, 2024, and covers Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 semesters. While the federal deadline isn't until June 30, 2026, most schools have MUCH earlier priority deadlines - usually between January-March 2025. I'd recommend completing it as soon as possible to maximize her aid opportunities.

same boat here! my son just got his spring package and im already gettin emails about doing the next fafsa. feels like we just finished the last one lol

The 2025-2026 FAFSA is available now, and you should definitely complete it as soon as possible. Each school sets their own priority deadlines, and filing early gives your daughter the best chance at maximum aid. This application will cover Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026. Important to note - the 2025-2026 FAFSA uses a new Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation and requires different tax information than previous years (2023 tax info for the 2025-2026 FAFSA). Also, if your daughter has siblings in college, that's handled differently under the new formula.

The financial aid system is RIDICULOUS with these deadlines!!! I missed my son's priority deadline by TWO DAYS last year and he lost out on $5000 in grants. The 2025-2026 FAFSA is even more complicated with all the new SAI calculation changes. And good luck trying to reach anyone at Federal Student Aid if you have questions - I spent 4 hours on hold last month trying to fix an error on our application.

everyone panicking about deadlines lol. most schools priority deadline isnt til march so u got time. just make sure u have ur 2023 tax info ready and ur daughters FSA ID login. the new system actually easier than the old one imo

To answer your follow-up questions: 1. You use the same FSA IDs from previous applications, no need to create new ones 2. For siblings in college, each student needs their own FAFSA, but the new SAI calculation treats multiple students differently than before. The system now calculates each student's aid individually rather than dividing family contribution among students 3. Many schools DO review applications early and distribute some aid on a first-come, first-served basis, especially for certain institutional scholarships That's why I recommend completing it soon rather than waiting until February or March. It often takes 3-5 days for your application to process and for you to receive your Student Aid Index.

My daughter went through this exact situation last year! I remember being so confused about why we needed to submit another FAFSA when she'd just been approved for Spring. What nobody told me was that some schools have scholarship programs with January deadlines that require the FAFSA to already be processed! She missed out on applying for a $2500 departmental scholarship because our FAFSA wasn't completed in time. Learn from my mistake!

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can confirm that yes, you absolutely need to complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA now even though your daughter just got approved for Spring 2025. I made the mistake of thinking I had more time since we "just finished" the last application, but I quickly learned that financial aid operates on academic year cycles, not calendar years. The 2024-2025 FAFSA only covers through Spring 2025, so if your daughter plans to attend Summer 2025 or Fall 2025, you'll need the new application. I ended up rushing to complete ours in early January and barely made our school's priority deadline of February 1st. My advice? Get it done this week while you still have all your documents organized from the previous application!