Paying for College

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first and most important step in finding money for college. All federal loans, work-study, and grants are determined by the FAFSA, and most colleges use the FAFSA as a basis for awarding their own institutional aid. Complete the FAFSA every year you plan to attend college.

Need help with FAFSA? 🎓 Explore events happening right here in Philly to guide you through the process. You’re not alone—let’s tackle FAFSA together! 💪📚

Click the link below to check out our list of events:

FAFSA Related Events

Local FAFSA Completion Assistance

The Campaign for Working Families assists low-income families in Philadelphia with free tax preparation.

The School District of Philadelphia hosts FAFSA completion events throughout the school year. You can find information about those events here.

You can find both in-person and virtual FAFSA completion events and workshops posted to the PhillyGoes2College calendar.

See 👏 your 👏 counselor! Trust us. There is nothing more your high school counselor would love to do than help pave your way to an affordable college education.

When to Complete the FAFSA

2026–27 FAFSA® Deadlines
🗓 Federal Deadline: Submit your FAFSA by 11:59 p.m. CT on June 30, 2027. Any corrections or updates must be made by 11:59 p.m. CT on September 12, 2026.

🏫 School Deadlines: Deadlines vary by college or trade school. Be sure to check with your school for their specific date—this might be when they process your FAFSA or when they receive it. Don’t wait!

Apply early to maximize your financial aid opportunities! 💸

Pennsylvania FAFSA Deadlines for 2026–27
🗓 May 1, 2026: Deadline for most students, including those attending four-year colleges. Additional forms may be required.

🗓 August 1, 2026: Deadline for first-time applicants attending community colleges, business schools, trade/technical schools, hospital nursing programs, open-admission schools, or nontransferable two-year programs.

Apply early to maximize your financial aid! 💸

State FAFSA Deadlines: What You Need to Know
📍 Pennsylvania Students: If you’re applying for PA state grants or scholarships, follow Pennsylvania’s deadlines.

🏫 Out-of-State Colleges: Heading to college outside PA? Your home state’s FAFSA deadlines won’t affect your federal aid or aid from the state where your college is located. Check that state’s deadlines to see if they offer additional aid.

⏰ Pro Tip: Submit your FAFSA as early as possible to maximize your financial aid opportunities! 🎓

State Deadline Here

What You Need Before Filling Out the FAFSA

Head here, under “Gathering the Documents You Need to Apply.” Plan to gather your documents and create FSA IDs with your parent.

Providing Parent Information

If you are considered a dependent student for FAFSA purposes, you’ll need to provide information about your legal parent(s) on the application. To determine who will complete parent information on the FAFSA on your behalf, head here. Don’t worry if this seems complicated! New to this year’s updated FAFSA form is a “Parent Wizard” tool that will help you figure out which parent(s) should be adding their information.

You will need parent information to complete the FAFSA even if your parent will not be contributing financially to your education. A parent is identified by the FAFSA as a “contributor” because they are contributing information, not money. Parents do not become financially responsible for paying for college by completing the FAFSA. The financial information a parent provides is simply a measure of your family’s ability to pay that is used to determine the amount of need-based aid you are eligible to receive.

What Happens After You Complete the FAFSA

After submission, you’ll receive your Student Aid Report. Review your SAR carefully, and make any necessary corrections or updates immediately.

Your SAR will be sent to the colleges you have applied to. Check the websites of each college to see if there is supplementary material you must submit, a process called FAFSA Verification. Work with your high school counselor or college financial aid office to work through the verification process.

Being selected for FAFSA Verification does not mean you did anything wrong. It just means you may need to supply additional materials to confirm the information you included on the FAFSA.

Upon review of your SAR, each college will send you a financial aid award letter. You can compare all the aid packages you are offered, and use this as a basis for making your final choice.

More Resources for Students & Families

“Who’s the Parent on the FAFSA Form?” Wizard—A new, stand-alone tool to help students and families determine who will need to provide contributor information on the 2025–26 FAFSA form prior to starting the application.
“Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account” Page—A new resource that explains what families and partners need to know about creating a StudentAid.gov account.
Pro Tips for Completing the FAFSA Form—Updated tips for preparing to complete and submit the FAFSA form – also be linked from the StudentAid.gov Dashboard to promote easier access for students and their required contributor(s).
Federal Student Aid Estimator—The tool provides an estimate of the 2025–26 Student Aid Index and Federal Pell Grant eligibility calculation.
FAFSA Support in Other Languages – A set of FAFSA guides and access to interpreter services for non-English speakers in 10 most common languages besides English and Spanish – 7 are there, 3 coming soon.
Federal Student Aid YouTube Channel: FAFSA Videos—Updated videos to help students and families understand the importance of the FAFSA form, who is a FAFSA contributor, and what happens after submitting the form.