IMPORTANT 2026 FAFSA UPDATE YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

This year the FAFSA is opening earlier than it has in the past few years and here's everything that you need to know about so that you get the financial aid that you deserve. If you remember the 2024 to 2025 FAFSA form opened in December which was way later than usual and then last year it wasn't open until November. But this year it's open in October. And because the FAFSA opens earlier you want to submit it earlier than you did in the past few years, especially if you are applying early action or early decision or restrictive early action, you need to make sure that you submit the FAFSA at the time that you also submit your application even though a lot of schools will say that their priority deadlines are in February/early March. Technically deadlines are in June of every single calendar year, but you want to make sure that you submit your FAFSA by the priority deadlines so you maximize your eligibility for financial aid at whatever school you go to because it's first come first serve so long as you submit by the priority deadline. Next steps for you in the meantime is to start a FAFSA account, get your FSA ID on the same day. Now you can actually get your FSA ID on the same day which wasn't the case in the past. Invite your parents to fill out the parts of the FAFSA that they need to fill out on their own, but start all that early on rather than later. If you have any questions about the FAFSA, let me know in the comments down below.