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Your state's priority deadline
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FAFSA opened October 1st — do I actually need to file in week one?
samhustles asked
FAFSA for next school year opened October 1st and everyone's in my group chat saying file ASAP or lose aid. My kid's starting college next year, we're middle-income, first time doing this. Does filing in the first week actually change anything for a family like ours? What do you wish you'd known the first time you filed?
1 answer
- Your state's priority deadline
Federal aid is formula-based — filing Oct 2 vs Oct 20 changes nothing for Pell or federal loans. But many states have first-come grant programs with deadlines as early as December. So the real move: look up your state's priority deadline and work backward from that. File the federal form as soon as it's convenient, but do NOT miss the state cutoff — that's where families actually lose money.
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