The 2027-28 FAFSA is due to go public by October 1, 2026.
Not “opens October 1” as a lock — the Department of Education says it will be available to all applicants no later than October 1. The form is in beta now. Here’s what to gather, how CSS Profile deadlines work, and the free checklist we send for open day.
The FAFSA is free
File at fafsa.gov / StudentAid.gov. Each contributor needs a StudentAid.gov account and must consent to the IRS tax-information transfer. The online form lists up to 20 schools.
CSS Profile is a second form
It starts October 1 each year and awards a college’s own money, not federal aid. $25 for the first school, $16 each additional — or free if family AGI is up to $100,000.
Verification can follow
An asterisk next to the SAI on your FAFSA Submission Summary means you were selected. For 2027-28 the groups are still V1, V4, and V5.
CSS Profile vs FAFSA, in plain English
If a college on your list asks for both forms, they are not interchangeable. This walkthrough covers what the Profile counts that the FAFSA ignores, who has to file it, and why deadlines are school-by-school. The written companion is CSS Profile vs FAFSA.
What to do this fall
File the 2027-28 FAFSA
Create StudentAid.gov accounts for the student and every contributor before you sit down to file. Consent to the IRS transfer. List up to 20 schools. The Department will accept 2027-28 paper and online forms until late June 2028; watch for a Federal Register notice with the final deadline rather than treating a date as locked. Start with when the 2027-28 FAFSA opens and the existing step-by-step walkthrough.
Master the CSS Profile pack
For the private and selective colleges that require a second form — especially divorced or separated parents facing the noncustodial-parent requirement. Waiver request letter, IDOC tracker, home-equity organizer, and institutional-appeal letters. Instant download, 14-day refund.
Get the CSS Profile Pack →If you’re selected for verification
Look for an asterisk next to the SAI on your FAFSA Submission Summary. Tracking groups for 2027-28 remain V1 (standard), V4 (identity), and V5 (both). Item-by-item document lists still come from the 2026-27 Dear Colleague Letter until the 2027-28 version posts — follow what your school sends. Use the free verification decoder.
Already have an award letter — and income dropped?
That is a later-season path, not the front door. If the FAFSA already filed and then a job loss, hours cut, or medical hardship hit, you can ask the college for a Professional Judgment review. That decision belongs to the school and cannot be appealed to the Department of Education. See FAFSA appeals or the $49 appeal pack.
FAQ
When does the 2027-28 FAFSA open?
The U.S. Department of Education says the 2027-28 FAFSA will be available to all applicants no later than October 1, 2026. That is a “by / no later than” date, not a lock that it opens on October 1. Beta 2 is open now; students and contributors can request to join at studentaid.gov/joinbeta, and beta submissions are real 2027-28 FAFSA forms.
Is the FAFSA free?
Yes. File at fafsa.gov / StudentAid.gov. Anyone who charges you to submit a FAFSA is not the government. Contributors each need their own StudentAid.gov account, and they must provide consent/approval for the IRS to transfer federal tax information.
What tax year does the 2027-28 FAFSA use?
The 2027-28 FAFSA uses 2025 federal income tax information — the prior-prior tax year. Have the 2025 return handy to check what the IRS transfer pulled.
What is the difference between the FAFSA and the CSS Profile?
The FAFSA is the federal form. The CSS Profile is College Board’s application for a college’s own institutional (non-federal) aid. Some private and selective colleges require both. Check College Board’s participating-institutions list and the college’s own financial aid site. Full comparison: CSS Profile vs FAFSA.
How much does the CSS Profile cost, and who files free?
College Board charges $25 for the first institution and $16 for each additional one. Domestic undergraduates (and those students’ noncustodial-parent applications) file free if family AGI is up to $100,000, or with an SAT fee waiver, or if the student is an orphan or ward of the court under 24. Each college sets its own deadline; treat midnight Eastern of the earliest priority filing date on your list as the one that governs you.
How many schools can I list on the FAFSA?
The online 2027-28 FAFSA can list up to 20 schools. If you need more, submit, let those schools receive the data, then swap some out and add the rest.
Is this legal advice?
No. These are informational guides and templates. They are not legal advice, not financial advice, and not a guarantee of any outcome. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, College Board, or any college.
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What FAFSA Appeal is
FAFSA Appeal (fafsa-appeal.com) is a free library of plain-English guides and eight interactive tools for families navigating federal financial aid, independently written and maintained in-house. This season’s front door is filing the 2027-28 FAFSA and the CSS Profile. The library also covers FAFSA verification (tracking groups V1, V4, and V5), comparing and negotiating college aid offers, Professional Judgment appeals after an award letter, and student loan repayment after graduation. The free tools include a dependency-status checker, an SAI impact estimator, an aid-offer comparison calculator, a verification decoder, and a CSS Profile noncustodial-parent waiver checker. If you would rather watch than read, the video library carries every walkthrough with a full written transcript and chapter markers. Every guide cites primary federal or College Board sources. 2027-28 filing dates come from the FAFSA Specifications Guide and Electronic Announcement APP-26-10; Professional Judgment and item-level verification still cite the 2026-27 Application and Verification Guide where the 2027-28 replacement has not posted.
Start here
Six sections, in roughly the order a family hits them this year. Jump to wherever you actually are.
- FAFSA, explained Before you file. When the 2027-28 form goes public, what counts as income and assets, who has to file, and whether the student is dependent or independent.
- The CSS Profile For the private and selective colleges that ask for a second form. Fees, the $100k waiver, home equity, and the noncustodial parent.
- FAFSA verification Your school says you were selected. What V1, V4, and V5 each require, and how to get aid unfrozen before the deadline.
- Comparing and negotiating aid offers Offers are in hand. What each line item really means, what is negotiable, and the true four-year cost behind the freshman-year number.
- FAFSA appeals and Professional Judgment Your income dropped after you filed. How to ask each school to recalculate, scenario by scenario, and what to do if you are denied.
- Student loan repayment After graduation. Forgiveness, income-driven plans, getting out of default, and stopping a wage garnishment.
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