Study abroad6 min read
FAFSA 2027-28: when it opens, what you need, and the deadlines
The Draimo team
Short answer
The 2027-28 FAFSA is open on StudentAid.gov, ahead of the 1 October 2026 date the law requires. It uses 2025 tax information. You and each contributor, usually a parent, need your own StudentAid.gov account, and tax data transfers from the IRS once each person consents. The federal deadline is 30 June 2028, but states and universities set much earlier priority dates, so file as soon as you can.
Try it in Draimo
Find each university's aid deadline
- What is the financial aid priority deadline at UCLA for 2027-28, and does it need the CSS Profile?
- Explain the Student Aid Index in plain words.
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Who files the FAFSA
The FAFSA is for US citizens and eligible non-citizens, such as permanent residents. International students are generally not eligible for US federal aid; universities that fund them usually ask for the CSS Profile or their own form instead.
What you need before you start
- A StudentAid.gov account for the student, and one for each contributor
- 2025 tax information (the FAFSA uses the tax year two years before the award year)
- Records of savings and investments that tax returns do not show
- The list of universities that should receive your results
The deadlines that actually matter
The federal deadline is 30 June 2028, which is late enough to be meaningless for most students. State grant deadlines and each university's priority date come far earlier, and some state aid runs out. Ask Draimo for a university's priority deadline and whether it also needs the CSS Profile; it answers from that university's financial aid pages.
After you submit
You receive a FAFSA Submission Summary with your Student Aid Index, the number universities use to decide how much need-based aid you get. Each university then sends its own aid offer. Compare offers by net cost, not by the size of the award.
Questions people ask
- When does the 2027-28 FAFSA open?
- It is already open on StudentAid.gov, ahead of the 1 October 2026 date required by law.
- Which tax year does the 2027-28 FAFSA use?
- 2025 tax information, under the prior-prior year rule.
- Can international students file the FAFSA?
- Generally no. It is for US citizens and eligible non-citizens. Universities that fund international students usually use the CSS Profile or their own forms.
Sources we checked
Checked 30 September 2026. Dates and amounts change every year. Draimo reads the current pages when you ask.
Ask for every university's aid deadline and forms, from its own pages.
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