Submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is key in order to qualify for financial aid, including federal student loans. The FAFSA is used to determine whether a student is eligible for any 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:direct loans or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Pell Grants, both of which can make earning a degree more affordable. Other strategies for maximizing your student aid include reducing your taxable income and reaching ouౠt to a school's financial aid office.

1. File as Early as Possible

Certain federal loans and grants are first-come, first-served, so you’ll want to fill out the 澳洲幸运5官❀方开奖结果体彩网:Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as early as possible.

The deadline for the 2025–2026 FAFSA application is 11:59 p.m. Central Time on June 30, 2026. Any necessary application updates or corrections must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on Sept. 12, 2026. However, the deadline fo🍨r submitting the FAFSA set by a school may differ from the federal one, so it’s worth checking the timelines for every university you’re applying to.

Parents might assume they have to wait to file their upcoming 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:tax return bef🦩ore completing their child’s FAFSA. However, under the current ไrules, tax information from two years before the award year is used when calculating aid eligibility.

2. Reduce Your Taxable Income

The information provided when you fill out the FAFSA is used to determine your Student Aid Index (SAI), wh🌼ich is the estimated amount that both the student and their parents can feasibly contribute toward paying higher education costs.

Generally, the lower your SAI is, the better. The factor that carries the most weight in the calculation of your SAI is your family’s income, so (if possible) keep your family’s 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:taxable income as low as possible in the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:base year in order to qua𒁏lify for more need-based finꩲancial aid.

3. Leverage the Parent’s Assets

The FAFSA assumes that a student’s contributions toward their education will be greater than those of their parents, meaning that the former’s assets will have a bigger impact on their SAI. As such, a parent may want to consider setting up a Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) and/or 529 plan on their child’s behalf. Because these accountsꦿ are treated as꧙ the parent’s assets (so long as the student is their dependent), the hit to their SAI will be relatively small.

4. Apply, Even if You Think You Won’t Qualify

Regardless of your financial situation, you should fill out the FAFSA even if you have doubts about whether you’ll qualify for financial aid. The needs analysis formula is complicated, and some states and schools utilize the information in your FAFSA to determine their own financial aid offers. So your family having a substantial income doesn’t guarantee that you'll be ineligible for aid, but failing to submit an application makes that possibility much more likely.

5. Look Beyond the FAFSA

The FAFSA is a crucial lifeline for students, but it isn’t the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:only option available to them. Financial aid counselors are typically able to disburse aid as they deem appropriate, a🌟nd the applicant’s SAI might not be the sole factoౠr in their decision.

Generally, the more interested a university is in a particular student, the more likely it is to offer them additional financial aid. It’s worth asking the financial aid office of each school that your child is considering what grants and other forms of assistance it offers, and whether or not your chi𝔉ld is likely to be eligible.

The Bottom Line

Attending college is expensive, but being proactive about securing funding can help make it more affordable. Filing the FAFSA as early as possible,꧃ making smart financial decisions for your family, and consulting with the financial a🅠id offices of each school you’re considering can unlock scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid that you might never have known you could qualify for.