2025-26 FAFSA

Effective November 21^st, the U.S. Department of Education announced it has officially released the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  The online FAFSA form is available to all students and families at studentaid.gov.  FAFSA forms submitted online will typically be processed in 1-3 business days at the US Department of Education.  Once the form is processed, the student will be able to review their FAFSA Submission Summary by logging back into their FSA Account.  BGSU Student Financial Aid and Scholarships will have access to the FAFSA data in early-mid January.

FAFSA Tips

Create a studentaid.gov account (FSA ID), if you haven’t already done so.  Every contributor to the FAFSA (student, student’s spouse-if married, parents) will need to create an FSA ID.  When creating an FSA ID:

o   Make sure the SSN number and name are exactly the same as the SSN card

o   Make sure the date of birth (DOB) is correct when creating the FSA ID

Make sure to complete the correct application.  Since the 2024-25 FAFSA will also be available – don’t complete the wrong year – be sure to select the 2025-2026 FAFSA

It is highly recommended the student start the FAFSA and invite the parent contributor(s)

Manually enter the Family Size – don’t leave the question blank

Make sure you know whether you filed a 2023 federal tax return

Make sure all contributors (student, parents, spouses) ‘provide consent’ and ‘submit’ the form or it will not be processed

FAFSA Support

In addition to normal operating hours, found on studentaid.gov, students and families will have access to FAFSA form-only support hours at the contact center that include evenings and weekends.

FAFSA Priority Deadlines

To maximize aid eligibility students should file their 2025-26 FAFSA by the priority deadlines:

o   New freshman = February 20, 2025

o   Continuing students = February 28, 2025

You (student) and your parent(s) or your spouse (if married) are considered contributors on your FAFSA.  Click the link below to determine who is/are your 2025-26 FAFSA contributor(s). 

Learn who is a 2025-26 FAFSA Contributor

Parent and spouse contributors will need to fill out the 2025-26 FAFSA separately from the student. They will also need to have their own Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. If you do not already have an FSA ID, you can apply for one on the Federal Student Aid website.