For the class of 2017, senior year may have just begun but so has planning for college and college financial aid. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the most widely-known financial aid program, has made changes this year that current seniors need to be aware of – applications will now be accepted starting October 1, a major change compared to the past date of January 1.

It is crucial that seniors especially be aware of this change because FAFSA is awarded on a first come-first serve basis. A three month application gap makes a difference when it comes time for students to see how much money they are eligible to receive.

FAFSA is anticipating that the date change will actually make it easier for students to have the required documents ready when the application date arrives. With this earlier date, a student will not need to estimate their tax information and can more accurately get the aid they should receive. Along with this, there is less pressure on the student to apply for other types of financial aid before the deadline; instead, students will have more time to explore all their options.

“It gives people more time, and the more time the better,” Christine Fougerousse, Advanced Academic Coordinator, said. “It aligns with the college application deadline and the amount of aid you got will come sooner.”   

Along with aligning the two deadlines, another important change is the use of prior-prior year tax information (PPY). This means that applicants will now use tax information from two years prior. For example, seniors who will be applying this October will use tax information from 2015 when filing the FAFSA for the fall 2017-2018 period. Next year juniors will use information from 2016, and so on.

If this new change seems complicated and you’re questioning applying to the FAFSA, don’t worry, there are plenty of staff on campus who are willing to guide you step by step through the application process.

“It is important to apply for FAFSA no matter what situation you’re in,” Fougerousse said.  “It is free money from the government and it never hurts to apply.”