FAFSA Step by Step for 2027–28

Before you start: which FAFSA do you need?

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is free. Never pay anyone to file it. For a shorter overview, see How to Apply for Financial Aid.

Step 1: Find out who your contributors are

A contributor is anyone who must give information on your FAFSA. You are always a contributor. Others may be a parent, a parent’s spouse or partner, or your own spouse.

Are you dependent or independent?

Most undergraduates are dependent students. That means a parent must be a contributor. For 2027–28, you are generally independent if any of these is true:

• You were born before January 1, 2004.
• You are married, or you will be a graduate student.
• You are a veteran or on active duty, or you have children you support.
• You were an orphan, in foster care or a ward of the court.
• You are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

Your school can also decide you are independent because of unusual circumstances, such as abandonment or abuse. Parents who simply refuse to help do not count.

Who counts as a contributor

Grandparents, foster parents and legal guardians are not parents on the FAFSA, unless they adopted you. The parent who must be a contributor is based on support, not on who you live with.

Step 2: Create StudentAid.gov accounts

You and every contributor need your own StudentAid.gov account. The username and password act as your signature.

• Each account needs its own email address and its own phone number. A parent and student cannot share one.
• Contributors without a Social Security number (SSN) can still create an account.
• Most accounts are verified right away. If yours shows “pending,” it can take one to three days.
• Do not use a school or work email you may lose later.

Make the accounts a few days early.

Step 3: Gather your information

Each contributor needs their own information ready.

• SSN or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number), if you have one
• 2025 federal tax return information. Most of it moves in from the IRS once you give consent.
• If you filed a 2025 tax return in Puerto Rico or another U.S. territory, that return too
• Child support received in the last full calendar year
• Which federal benefits you received in 2025 or 2026, such as SNAP (food assistance)
• Current balances of cash, savings and checking
• The value of investments, such as stocks or rental property
• Your list of schools (up to 20 online)

What you do not report as assets

• The home you live in
• Retirement accounts
• A family business with 100 or fewer full-time employees
• A family farm that your family lives on
• A family commercial fishing business

Step 4: Start the form

1. Go to fafsa.gov and log in to your StudentAid.gov account.
2. Choose “Start New Form” and pick the 2027–28 school year.
3. Say whether you are the student or a parent starting the form.

Some returning students may see answers filled in from last year’s form. A parent with two or more children filing in the same year gets their answers filled in after the first form.

Step 5: Fill out your sections

1. Identity and consent. Check your details and state of residence. Give consent for the IRS to send your tax information. This is required even if you did not file taxes.
2. Personal circumstances. These questions set your dependency status.
3. Demographics. Questions on sex, race and ethnicity are for research only. They do not change your aid.
4. Financials. Enter only your own information. Type 0 if something does not apply.
5. Colleges. Add every school you are thinking about, even if you have not applied yet.

Step 6: Invite your contributors

Enter each contributor’s name, email address and the other details the form asks for. They get an email invitation. You can also share a link, a code or a QR code.

Each contributor logs in with their own account. They give consent and fill out their own section. Your form can’t be submitted until every contributor has finished and signed.

If a parent will not take part

Without a required parent’s information and consent, you generally can’t get a Pell Grant or most other federal aid. You may still get an unsubsidized Direct Loan. That is a federal student loan that does not depend on financial need. If there is a serious reason you can’t contact your parents, answer the unusual-circumstances question. Then contact your school’s aid office.

Step 7: Review, sign and submit

Check every answer and each contributor’s status. Agree to the terms, sign and choose “Submit FAFSA Form.” Most forms are processed right away. Some take one to three days.

Step 8: Read your FAFSA Submission Summary

After processing, log in to StudentAid.gov to see your FAFSA Submission Summary. It shows your Student Aid Index (SAI), the number schools use to measure your financial need. It also shows your estimated Pell Grant. See Pell Grant: Who Qualifies.

The summary may say you were selected for verification. That means your school will ask for papers to confirm your answers. Send them quickly, or your aid can be delayed.

2027–28 deadlines

State and school deadlines are often much earlier than the federal one. File as soon as you can.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using the wrong year’s form.
• Sharing one email or phone number between parent and student.
• Listing the wrong parent after a divorce. It’s the one who gave more support, not the one you live with.
• Reporting retirement accounts, your home or a small family business as assets.
• Forgetting a separate state aid form, if your state has one.
• Paying a website to file a free form.

After the FAFSA

Compare your aid offers by the money you do not pay back. Use grants, scholarships and work-study first, then federal loans. Use private loans last. Keep applying for scholarships too; see How to Find Scholarships and Types of Financial Aid.