1. The FAFSA will be available earlier.

All students will be able to file a FAFSA three months earlier than in the past. FAFSAs can be filed as early as October 1, 2016, rather than beginning on January 1, 2017. The earlier availability of the FAFSA is a permanent change. October 1 will now be the date on which the FAFSA becomes available each year.

2. Students (and parents, if applicable) will use earlier income and tax information when filing.

For example, for the 2017-2018 FAFSA, 2015 income will be required. Students and parents will no longer have to estimate income and then go back and update the information once taxes are filed.  Most individuals will be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when initially completing the FAFSA.

For students who also file a 2016-2017 FAFSA, this change will mean 2015 income information will be used two years in a row.  To ensure that tax information is consistent between the two years, individuals should use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to populate tax information for both years, if possible.

3. When filing the FAFSA, at least one college must be listed; however, additional colleges can be added after the FAFSA is filed.

Students will be filing their FAFSAs earlier than in the past and may not have yet decided exactly which colleges they plan to apply to for admission. No problem! Students should list any college to which they are planning to apply and then add others as needed.

4. Students need to be offered admission before they will receive an award letter.

As a result, many students will file their FAFSA in the fall but will not receive an award letter until they have been accepted for admission. Additionally, financial aid offices may not be able to send out award letters until they receive critical information from the Federal Department of Education, which is usually available by February.

5. Deadlines may change.

It is possible that financial aid and other deadlines may change from what they have been in the past as a result of the FAFSA being available earlier. It is important that just prior to October 1, all students check with any college they are interested in attending for 2017-2018 to confirm critical financial aid and other deadlines.