When to complete FAFSA for Spring 2025 grad school start - different from undergrad deadlines?

For Spring 2025 enrollment, your daughter should complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA now if she hasn't already. The 2024-2025 FAFSA covers Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025 terms. Don't wait - many schools have priority deadlines for financial aid that may have already passed, though they'll still accept applications. When the 2025-2026 FAFSA becomes available (December 2024), she should complete that one too for any terms after Summer 2025. Graduate student FAFSA works on the same academic year cycle as undergrad, but the types of aid available are different (mostly unsubsidized loans and some work-study, fewer grants).

I just went through this with my son!! The whole thing was a NIGHTMARE and we almost missed out on aid because the financial aid office gave us conflicting information. First they said wait until he was accepted, then they said we should have applied earlier. Make sure she applies for BOTH the 2024-2025 FAFSA (for Spring 2025) AND the 2025-2026 FAFSA when it opens in December!!!

grad schools have different deadlines than undergrad sometimes. my brother waited too long and got NO money for his first semester. have her call the financial aid office at the school directly and ask!!!

Your daughter needs to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA for Spring 2025 enrollment. The FAFSA covers full academic years (Fall through Summer). For graduate students, the financial aid package will primarily consist of unsubsidized federal loans and possibly Graduate PLUS loans, with limited grant opportunities. A few important notes: 1. She should list all grad schools she's applied to or plans to apply to on her FAFSA 2. Graduate students are automatically considered independent regardless of age or tax status 3. Many grad programs have program-specific scholarships with separate applications 4. The SAI (Student Aid Index) calculation is different for graduate students I recommend she complete the application ASAP as many schools' priority deadlines have passed, though they still process applications on a rolling basis.

I tried calling the Federal Student Aid helpline about a similar situation for my son, but I was on hold for over TWO HOURS and then got disconnected. I was ready to give up until someone recommended Claimyr.com - it got me connected to a real person in about 20 minutes instead of hours of waiting. There's a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The agent confirmed that for Spring 2025, you need the 2024-2025 FAFSA, and your daughter will be considered an independent student for grad school. Much easier than waiting on hold all day!

wait doesn't matter when she starts, its the whole academic year that matters. so spring 2025 is part of the 2024-2025 year. my cousin did this last year and had to do current year fafsa for spring start and then immediately do next years fafsa when it opened for the following fall. its super confusing!!!!

A follow-up to my earlier comment: Since your daughter will be a graduate student, her financial aid picture will look different than undergrad. Graduate students are automatically considered independent on the FAFSA regardless of age or whether parents provide support. The main federal aid graduate students qualify for includes: - Unsubsidized Direct Loans (up to $20,500 annually) - Graduate PLUS Loans (up to the cost of attendance) - Federal Work-Study (if available at her institution) Unfortunately, graduate students don't qualify for Pell Grants or subsidized loans. Many graduate students also look into assistantships, fellowships, and program-specific scholarships to help fund their education.

No, as an independent student, she won't need to provide parental income information on her FAFSA. She'll only report her own income and assets. This is one of the big differences between undergraduate and graduate FAFSA applications. Even if you're still supporting her financially, the FAFSA won't take that into account for graduate students.

Make sure she actually submits it NOW for the 2024-2025 year! My son's friend thought he could wait until closer to his January start date and ended up missing out on a ton of departmental scholarships because those have earlier deadlines even though the FAFSA itself can be submitted later. The whole system is RIDICULOUS honestly.

Hi there! I went through this exact same situation last year with my daughter. She started her master's program in January 2024, and I was equally confused about the timing. Here's what I learned: Yes, she absolutely should submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA RIGHT NOW for Spring 2025 enrollment. Don't wait - I made that mistake initially and almost cost my daughter some funding opportunities. One thing that really helped us was creating a simple timeline: - Submit 2024-2025 FAFSA immediately (covers Spring 2025) - December 2024: Submit 2025-2026 FAFSA when it opens (covers Fall 2025 and beyond) Also, have her list ALL the grad schools she's applied to on the FAFSA - you can always remove schools later if she doesn't get accepted, but you can't go back in time if you miss a school's internal deadlines. The independent student status for grad school was actually a pleasant surprise - much simpler than when we were factoring in our family income for her undergrad applications. Good luck with the process!