CLASS OF 2027 SENIOR GUIDE
Your senior year, all in one place.
FAFSA: What Class of 2027 Families Need to Know
Class of 2027 families will use the 2027–28 FAFSA for college beginning in fall 2027. Here’s what homeschool seniors and parents need to know before they start.
If your homeschool senior plans to attend college, career school, or trade school beginning in fall 2027, the FAFSA you are looking for is the 2027–28 FAFSA.
The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the application used to determine eligibility for federal grants, work-study, and federal student loans. States, colleges, and some other aid programs also use FAFSA information when awarding financial aid.
For the Class of 2027, this is something to handle during senior year, not after graduation.
Which FAFSA Does My Senior Need?
If your student plans to begin school... | FAFSA to complete | Tax information used |
Spring or Summer 2027 | 2026–27 FAFSA | 2024 tax information |
Fall 2027 | 2027–28 FAFSA | 2025 tax information |
Most Class of 2027 graduates beginning college in fall 2027 will complete the 2027–28 FAFSA and use 2025 tax information.
When Does the 2027–28 FAFSA Open?
Federal Student Aid says the 2027–28 FAFSA will be fully available by October 1, 2026. As of September 2026, the form is also available through an early-access testing period.
Students who submit during early access are submitting a real FAFSA and will not need to complete it again after the full launch.
That means Class of 2027 families can begin preparing now.
Do Not Wait for a College Acceptance Letter
You do not have to wait until your student has been accepted to a college before completing the FAFSA.
In fact, waiting can work against you.
Federal aid has its own deadlines, but states and individual colleges may have much earlier priority deadlines, and some financial aid funds are limited.
If your student is seriously considering a school, find its financial aid deadline and put it on your senior-year calendar.
Start With StudentAid.gov Accounts
Before completing the FAFSA, the student needs their own StudentAid.gov account.
Any required contributor must also have their own separate account. A contributor may be a parent, stepparent, spouse, or another person whose information is required on the FAFSA.
Do not share one account between family members.
For most dependent seniors:
the student will need an account
at least one parent will need an account
another parent or stepparent may also need one depending on the family's circumstances
Federal Student Aid has a Who’s My FAFSA Parent? tool to help families determine which parent needs to participate, which can be especially helpful for divorced, separated, or remarried parents.
What Does “Contributor” Mean?
The word contributor confuses a lot of families.
A contributor is simply someone required to provide information on the FAFSA, consent to the transfer of federal tax information, and sign their portion of the form.
Being listed as a contributor does not mean that person is agreeing to pay for college.
For a dependent student, the FAFSA determines which parent information is required based on federal rules.
Your Student Should Start the FAFSA
Federal Student Aid recommends that the student begin their own FAFSA first and complete the student section before inviting contributors. Doing it in that order can reduce confusion and errors.
The student will then send an invitation to the parent or other contributor who needs to complete a section.
Each contributor logs into their own StudentAid.gov account, completes their portion, provides the required consent, and signs.
The FAFSA cannot be fully submitted and processed until all required contributors have completed their sections and signed.
What Financial Information Will You Need?
The 2027–28 FAFSA uses 2025 income and tax information.
For most families, much of the federal tax information is transferred directly from the IRS after the required consent is provided. Families may still need to answer questions about current assets and other financial information.
You may be asked about things such as:
cash, checking, and savings account balances
investments
business or income-producing farm value when applicable
child support received
family size
certain benefits or other financial information
Answer the questions based on the instructions in the FAFSA itself rather than assuming that FAFSA treats every asset the same way your tax return does.
What If Our Income Has Changed Since 2025?
The FAFSA still begins with the required tax-year information.
If your family's financial circumstances have changed significantly since 2025 because of job loss, reduced income, divorce, death, major medical expenses, or another substantial change, complete the FAFSA first and then contact the financial aid office at the college your student is considering.
Colleges may be able to review special or unusual circumstances and determine whether an adjustment is appropriate.
Do not simply substitute a different year's income on the FAFSA because it seems more representative.
Homeschoolers Can Complete the FAFSA
Being homeschooled does not prevent a student from completing the FAFSA or receiving federal student aid.
Your homeschool graduate will complete the same federal aid application as other students.
Where homeschool families often need to pay closer attention is the administrative side. There may not be a high school guidance office reminding you to create accounts, track college codes, watch deadlines, or respond to financial aid requests.
That job falls to the family.
After You Submit
Once the FAFSA is processed, the student receives a FAFSA Submission Summary.
Review it carefully.
The summary includes the student's Student Aid Index, or SAI, and may include an estimate of potential Federal Pell Grant eligibility. It is not the student's final financial aid offer. Individual schools later use FAFSA information along with their own cost of attendance and aid policies to create financial aid offers.
Check the summary for:
errors
missing signatures
incorrect schools
requests for corrections
verification notices or other follow-up items
Do not assume that hitting “submit” means the process is completely finished.
Keep Financial Aid Records Together
Create a financial aid folder, digital or physical, and keep:
StudentAid.gov account information
FAFSA confirmation
FAFSA Submission Summary
college financial aid deadlines
school codes
requests for additional documents
scholarship applications
financial aid offers
This becomes especially helpful later when several colleges begin sending different requests and offers at the same time.
For the Class of 2027
Right now, the most useful steps are simple:
Decide whether your senior may attend college, career school, or trade school in fall 2027.
Make sure the student and required parent contributors have StudentAid.gov accounts.
Identify financial aid priority deadlines for the schools your student is considering.
Complete the 2027–28 FAFSA as early as practical.
Watch for the FAFSA Submission Summary and follow-up requests.
Remember
The FAFSA is not a commitment to borrow money, and completing it does not obligate your student to attend a particular school.
It simply opens the door to finding out what federal, state, and institutional aid may be available.
For Class of 2027 families, the important thing is not to wait until graduation to begin the financial aid process.
"Senior year doesn't have to look like everyone else's. It just needs a plan that works for your student."
Helpful Resources
Remember
Not every item on this checklist will apply to every student. Use what fits your graduate's plans and leave the rest.
