The honest answer is by October 1, 2026 — not “opens October 1” as a lock. The U.S. Department of Education’s Electronic Announcement APP-26-10 (updated August 25, 2026) puts public release of the 2027-28 FAFSA by October 1, 2026. The 2027-28 FAFSA Specifications Guide, Volume 1 says the same thing in one sentence: “The application will be available to all applicants no later than October 1, 2026.” The form is in beta now. That is not yet the public release.

If a college on your list also wants the CSS Profile, put that on the same calendar. The Profile starts October 1 each year, with school-by-school deadlines.

Public release vs. beta

Two different doors:

  • Public release is the date every applicant can start a 2027-28 FAFSA. Federal Student Aid has committed to that no later than October 1, 2026.
  • Beta is open now. Students and contributors can request to participate at studentaid.gov/joinbeta. Volume 1 of the Specifications Guide is explicit that beta submissions are real 2027-28 FAFSA forms — not a practice run you throw away.

If you are not in the beta, do not treat a blog’s “it opened early” post as your green light. Wait for the public form on StudentAid.gov. If you are invited into beta and you finish the form, you have filed.

What to have ready before you open it

The 2027-28 FAFSA is still free, and you still file it yourself.

  1. StudentAid.gov accounts. The student and every contributor the form requires (a parent, sometimes a spouse) each need their own account. Sharing a login stalls the form at signature.
  2. Consent/approval for IRS federal tax information. The online form will not complete without it. That transfer is how most income fields get filled.
  3. 2025 federal income tax information. The Specifications Guide question text refers to a 2025 U.S. federal income tax return. The 2027-28 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide uses the prior-prior tax year and 2025 poverty guidelines. Have the 2025 return on the table so you can check what the IRS sent over.
  4. A school list. The online form 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.

The older documents-needed and FSA ID setup guides still describe the same mechanics. Use 2025 tax documents for 2027-28, not 2024.

How long the 2027-28 form stays open

Specifications Guide, Volume 2 says the FAFSA Processing System will accept 2027-28 paper and online FAFSA forms until late June 2028, and tells schools to “Watch for a Federal Register notice with the final deadline.” That notice had not been posted as of August 25, 2026, so this page does not print a locked June 30, 2028 date.

School and state priority dates still arrive months earlier than whatever federal backstop lands. File as soon as the public form is up, or as soon as you are in beta.

Check whether you also need the CSS Profile

The FAFSA is federal aid. The CSS Profile is institutional, non-federal aid, run by College Board. Some private and selective colleges require both. Confirm on College Board’s participating institutions list and on the college’s own financial aid site. Dates, fees, and the $100,000 waiver are in CSS Profile deadlines for 2027-28.

The bottom line

Do not plan your fall around a blog that says “the FAFSA opens October 1.” Plan around the documents Federal Student Aid has actually published: public release by / no later than October 1, 2026, beta open now at studentaid.gov/joinbeta, 2025 tax information, free filing at StudentAid.gov, up to 20 schools, and a federal close that is “late June 2028” until the Federal Register notice lands. If a college also wants the CSS Profile, start that clock on October 1 as well.

Sources

Verified August 25, 2026. This guide is informational and is not legal or financial advice. FAFSA Appeal is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, College Board, or any college.