When to start FAFSA prep for high school junior (class of 2025)?

It's definitely not too early to start preparing! The FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year should open on October 1, 2024, so that's when you'd actually be able to submit the application. But there's plenty you can do now: 1. Create FSA IDs for both you and your daughter (studentaid.gov) 2. Gather your financial documents (tax returns, W-2s, etc.) 3. Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool to get a preliminary idea of your Expected Family Contribution 4. Research schools and their financial aid policies 5. Look into the CSS Profile if your daughter is considering private colleges The earlier you start understanding the process, the less stressful it will be when application time comes!

my son just started college this year and trust me you CAN NOT start too early!! we waited till summer after graduation and it was a NIGHTMARE. so much stress could have been avoided if we started junior year

@OP - Yes, you and your daughter each need your own FSA ID. It's essentially your electronic signature for federal student aid documents. As for the Estimator tool (it's now called the Federal Student Aid Estimator), it gives you a rough idea of your Student Aid Index (SAI), which replaces the old EFC concept. It's not perfect, but it's definitely helpful for ballpark planning. Also, start researching merit scholarships now! Many schools have priority deadlines for maximum scholarship consideration that are earlier than regular admission deadlines.

everything took 10x longer than we thought!! getting all the tax forms, figuring out the parent contribution stuff (im divorced so extra complicated), my son had no idea what his social security # was and we had to order a new card, the FSA ID verification took FOREVER, then we had questions and couldnt reach anyone at financial aid office for weeks!!! just start NOW trust me!!!

Financial aid professional here. Junior year is the perfect time to start preparing! The 2024-2025 FAFSA (for current seniors) just underwent a major simplification, and the 2025-2026 FAFSA your daughter will use should maintain these changes. A few specific things to know: - The FAFSA now uses the Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of Expected Family Contribution (EFC) - For the 2025-2026 FAFSA, they'll look at your 2023 tax information (always 2 years prior) - If your financial situation has significantly changed since 2023, you'll need to contact individual schools for professional judgment reviews - Start researching net price calculators on college websites to estimate costs Feel free to ask specific questions - happy to help navigate this process!

When my kid was getting ready for college we didnt do anything till senior year and it was fine dont stress so much lol

@OP Regarding your inheritance question - this is exactly the type of situation that professional judgment reviews are designed for. The FAFSA will use your 2023 tax information, including that inheritance, but you can request special consideration. Here's what to do: 1. Complete the FAFSA as normal using your 2023 tax information 2. Once you receive aid offers, contact each financial aid office explaining the one-time nature of the inheritance 3. They'll have a form called something like "Special Circumstances" or "Income Adjustment" 4. You'll need documentation showing the inheritance was one-time Different schools handle these situations differently - some may adjust your SAI considerably, others might make minimal changes. But it's definitely worth pursuing at every school!

don't forget to check if you need to fill out the CSS Profile too!! not just FAFSA!! many private schools require both and CSS asks for WAY more financial info. also costs $25 for first school and $16 for each additional school. my daughter applied to 8 schools that needed CSS and it was almost $150 just to APPLY for aid 😡

Here's my advice as someone who manages college applications professionally: Start by making a spreadsheet now tracking the following for each potential college: - Application deadline - FAFSA deadline (usually different than the application deadline) - CSS Profile required? (Deadline?) - Merit scholarship deadline (often earlier) - Institutional aid forms required? Each college lists all these requirements on their financial aid website. Having this organized will save you enormous headaches later. Also, CSS Profile fee waivers ARE available for qualifying families - don't let the fees prevent you from applying to schools if your income is limited.

btw the fafsa customer service is AWFUL if u have a problem. we waited on hold for THREE HOURS and then got disconnected!!!!!

One more preparation tip: Help your daughter start thinking about her college list in terms of financial fit, not just academic and social fit. Some key financial categories to consider: 1. Safety-affordable (schools where she's likely to be admitted AND you can afford without aid) 2. Match-affordable (good chances + affordable with expected aid) 3. Reach-affordable (harder to get into but still affordable if admitted) Many families focus only on admission chances but forget the affordability part of the equation, which leads to tough conversations later. Running net price calculators for representative schools now (junior year) can help set realistic expectations before senior year applications.

As a newcomer to this process, I'm finding all this information incredibly valuable! I had no idea there were so many different deadlines and requirements to track. My son is also a junior (class of 2025) and I've been putting off thinking about financial aid because it seemed overwhelming. Reading through these responses, it sounds like the key takeaways are: 1. Start preparing NOW even though we can't submit until October 2024 2. Create FSA IDs for both parent and student 3. Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to get ballpark numbers 4. Research which schools need CSS Profile vs just FAFSA 5. Look into merit scholarship deadlines (apparently these can be much earlier!) One question I haven't seen addressed - for divorced parents, how does that complicate the FAFSA process? I saw @Elin Robinson mentioned it was "extra complicated" but didn't get details. My ex and I are on decent terms but our finances are completely separate now. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - this thread is a goldmine of practical advice!