The 7 costliest FAFSA^® renewal mistakes

Key takeaways about FAFSA^® renewal

• Check the award year and your earliest deadlines before you start.
• Review every answer, even when the information looks familiar.
• Confirm your contributors, school list, and enrollment plans.
• Don’t skip the FAFSA^® because you assume you won’t qualify.
• Review your FAFSA^® Submission Summary and follow up with your school.

You need to submit a new FAFSA^® for every award year you want federal student aid. Your eligibility doesn’t renew automatically. You’ll need to choose the correct form, meet current deadlines, review what’s changed, collect the required signatures, and submit it again. A careful review can help you avoid errors and delays.

You’ve done this before, so renewing the FAFSA^® should feel more familiar. The catch is that your situation—and the form itself—may have changed since last year.

Here’s what you need to know.

Do I have to renew the FAFSA^® every year?

Yes. Federal student aid is awarded one year at a time, so you need to submit a FAFSA^® for every award year you want aid.

Filing once doesn’t cover your full time in school. Sallie’s "Financial Aid Myth Report" found that 8% of families believed one FAFSA^® covered all four years of college.

Your state, school, and scholarship programs may have their own annual requirements, too. You may need to meet an earlier deadline, complete another form, or maintain a certain GPA or number of credits.

Sallie’s FAFSA^® resources and FAFSA^® Guide can help you work through the current form.

How is FAFSA^® renewal different from filing the first time?

Think of FAFSA^® renewal as a new application for a new award year—not as resubmitting last year’s form.

You can use your existing StudentAid.gov account, but you still need to answer the current questions and submit a new form. Check your contributors, family information, school plans, and enrollment status instead of assuming they’re unchanged.

Information from your StudentAid.gov account may appear when you begin. That can save time, but it doesn’t replace a careful review.

What are the biggest FAFSA^® renewal mistakes?

1. Assuming last year’s FAFSA^® still applies

Once you’re enrolled, it’s easy to think your financial aid is set. But neither your FAFSA^® nor your federal aid eligibility carries over automatically.

You need to submit the form for the new award year. Grants, scholarships, and other aid programs may also have separate renewal rules.

What to do instead: Put FAFSA^® renewal on your yearly college checklist. Then check whether your other aid requires a separate form, deadline, GPA, or number of completed credits.

2. Waiting too long and missing an earlier deadline

The federal deadline isn’t the only date that matters.

Your state, school, or scholarship program may have an earlier deadline. Some state and school aid also has limited funding.

What to do instead: Look up the federal, state, and school deadlines before you start. Use the earliest one as your target date.

Already missed a state or school deadline? Don’t assume there’s no point in filing. Missing a state deadline doesn’t automatically make you ineligible for federal student aid.

3. Skimming information because it looks familiar

You’ve answered FAFSA^® questions before, so it’s tempting to move quickly. That’s how outdated information can slip through.

Your contact information, marital status, dependency answers, family situation, assets, grade level, or enrollment plans may have changed.

What to do instead: Read every question and answer based on your situation now. Check any information that appears from your StudentAid.gov account rather than assuming it’s correct.

A few extra minutes here may save you from making corrections later.

4. Using last year’s contributor setup without checking

A contributor is someone who must provide information, give consent and approval for federal tax information to transfer from the IRS, and sign their part of your FAFSA^®. Depending on your situation, that could include you, your spouse, a parent, or a parent’s spouse.

Your contributors may change if:

• Your parents divorced or separated.
• A parent remarried.
• You got married.
• Your dependency status changed.
• Your family circumstances changed.

Here’s where it gets a little tricky: the required parent contributor isn’t always the parent who claimed you on a tax return. Don’t rely on last year’s setup or make your best guess.

What to do instead: Follow the questions on the current FAFSA^®. Each required contributor must use their own StudentAid.gov account. Federal Student Aid’s parent information guidance can help when parents are divorced, separated, or remarried.

5. Leaving the wrong schools on your list

Even if you’re staying at the same college, check your school list before you submit.

You may need to update it if you’re:

• Transferring
• Considering a transfer
• Applying to a different program
• Attending another campus
• Still deciding where you’ll enroll

The schools on your FAFSA^® use your information to determine the aid they may offer.

What to do instead: Make sure your current school is listed and add any school you’re seriously considering. If you’re transferring, contact the new school’s financial aid office and ask about its deadline and other requirements.

6. Skipping the FAFSA^® because you think you won’t qualify

Maybe your family earns more than last year. Maybe you didn’t receive much aid before. Or maybe you assume financial aid is only for lower-income families.

That doesn’t mean you should skip the FAFSA^®.

There’s no single income cutoff that decides whether you can receive aid. FAFSA^® information may be used for federal aid, state programs, school scholarships, work-study, federal student loans, and some college grants.

Sallie’s "Financial Aid Myth Report" found that 29% of families skipped applying for federal aid because they assumed they wouldn’t qualify. Nearly one in four later learned they may have qualified for aid they didn’t apply for.

What to do instead: Submit the form and let the financial aid process determine what may be available. Your information, your school’s costs, and available funding can change from one year to the next.

7. Submitting the FAFSA^® and never checking back

Hitting “Submit” is a big step, but it may not be the last one.

After your FAFSA^® is processed, you’ll receive a FAFSA Submission Summary. It includes your FAFSA^® answers, basic information about your federal aid eligibility, and possible next steps. It isn’t your financial aid offer. Your school sends that separately.

What to do instead:

• Review your FAFSA Submission Summary.
• Correct eligible mistakes.
• Confirm that your schools are listed.
• Look for missing signatures or other issues.
• Respond to verification requests.
• Check your school email and financial aid portal.

A request for verification doesn’t automatically mean you made a mistake. Your school may simply need documents before it can finish reviewing your eligibility.

How do I renew the FAFSA^®?

The form may change from year to year, but the basic FAFSA^® renewal process is manageable:

1. Sign in with your StudentAid.gov account.
2. Choose the FAFSA^® for the correct award year.
3. Review your identity and contact information.
4. Answer the current dependency questions.
5. Confirm your required contributors.
6. Update the requested family and financial information.
7. Check your grade level and enrollment plans.
8. Review your school list.
9. Make sure all required contributors complete and sign their sections.
10. Submit the form and review your FAFSA Submission Summary once it’s processed.

Don’t share one StudentAid.gov account with a parent, spouse, or anyone else. Each contributor needs their own account because it’s used to provide information and sign the form.

Sallie’s FAFSA^® Guide can help you work through each step.

Why might my financial aid change from last year?

A different financial aid offer doesn’t always mean something went wrong.

Aid can change based on your FAFSA^® information, year in school, enrollment status, and your school’s cost of attendance. School costs, scholarships, academic eligibility, and available funding can also change.

Before you decide what the change means, place last year’s financial aid offer next to the new one.

Check:

• Grants and scholarships you don’t usually repay
• Work-study eligibility
• Federal and private student loans
• Your remaining cost after aid
• Conditions attached to each award
• Whether any aid is missing or has changed

Sallie’s guide to comparing financial aid offers can help you sort through the numbers.

What should I do if something changed or went wrong?

Some problems can be corrected on the FAFSA^®. Others need help from your school.

Your FAFSA^® may use tax information that no longer reflects what’s happening now. For example, you or your parent may have lost a job or taken a pay cut.

Complete the form using the information it requests. Then contact your school’s financial aid office. The school may ask for documents and decide whether it can adjust the information used to review your eligibility. Federal Student Aid provides more information about reporting special financial circumstances.

Don’t forget your other annual financial aid requirements

Renewing the FAFSA^® is only one part of keeping your aid on track. To remain eligible for federal aid, you generally need to meet your school’s satisfactory academic progress standards. These rules usually consider your grades, completed credits, and progress toward finishing your program.

Go after scholarships too

Scholarships matter because they can reduce what you need to cover with savings, income, or student loans. Many are open to current college students, so it’s worth continuing to apply after your first year.

Scholly^® Scholarships helps you search for opportunities that may fit you. Scholly^® Easy Apply Scholarships lets you apply for multiple scholarships with one application, while Sallie’s $2,000 No Essay Scholarship offers a simple entry for a chance to win $2,000.

The bottom line

FAFSA^® renewal isn’t automatic, but you don’t have to start without a plan.

Choose the correct award year, check what’s changed, and read every answer before you submit. Then review your FAFSA® Submission Summary and watch for messages from your school.

That little bit of follow-through can help you avoid common problems and understand your financial aid options for the year ahead.

For more support, explore Sallie’s financial aid resources.