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How to Renew Your FAFSA
By
Will Geiger
Will Geiger is the co-founder of Scholarships360 and has a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. He is a former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Kenyon College where he personally reviewed 10,000 admissions applications and essays. Will also managed the Kenyon College merit scholarship program and served on the financial aid appeals committee. He has also worked as an Associate Director of College Counseling at a high school in New Haven, Connecticut. Will earned his master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate degree in history from Wake Forest University.
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Annie has spent the past 18+ years educating students about college admissions opportunities and coaching them through building a financial aid package. She has worked in college access and college admissions for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission/Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, Middle Tennessee State University, and Austin Peay State University.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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If you are a college freshman, sophomore or junior, you are probably familiar with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. The FAFSA is the application that students use to access need-based financial aid.
One of the most important things for students to remember is that they must apply for FAFSA renewal each year that they will be attending college. The good news is that renewing your FAFSA is a simpler and easier process than applying for the FAFSA for the first time.
Jump ahead to:
- How to renew your FAFSA
- Common FAFSA renewal mistakes
- Renewing merit-based scholarships
- Frequently asked questions about how to renew your FAFSA
Let’s dive into FAFSA renewal so you can get as much need-based financial aid as possible!
How to renew your FAFSA
It is important to note that the FAFSA has completely changed as of the 2024-2025 application year. Therefore, the way to renew the 2024-2025 FAFSA may include different steps than the ones detailed for the 2023-2024 application below. Check back here for any updates about how to renew the 2024-2025 FAFSA!
As we mentioned, FAFSA renewal is an easier and less time intensive process than completing the FAFSA as a first year student. In fact, you can easily resubmit your FAFSA in just a few easy steps:
Sign into your Federal Student Aid Account
First things first, you will need to sign into your Federal Student Aid or FSA account using your FSA ID.
If you don’t remember your password from last year, you can simply request a new one.
Select the FAFSA Renewal option
Next, if you are eligible for renewing your FAFSA, you will see that as an option after you log into your FSA account.
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Make any necessary changes to the FAFSA
When you select the FAFSA Renewal option, your FAFSA application will be pre-filled with information. You should review this information and make sure that everything is still correct.
Since the FAFSA relies on the most up-to-date financial aid information, you will also have to pull in new financial data for you and your parents. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is the best way to seamlessly pull in financial info for you and your family. The FAFSA uses prior, prior financial data, so you will be using tax information from two years prior.
Submit your FAFSA by the deadline
Now last and certainly not least, you will need to submit by the FAFSA deadline! The FAFSA opens up on October 1st, so we recommend getting it done as soon as possible!
Common FAFSA renewal mistakes
Not actually applying for financial aid
Some students assume that they won’t qualify for financial aid. Maybe you didn’t even qualify for financial aid last year. Colleges know that a student’s financial aid may change from year to year, which is why students can apply for financial aid through the FAFSA each year. If your family’s financial situation has changed for the worse or you are concerned about paying for college, you should absolutely complete and submit the FAFSA to your college.
Applying for financial aid late
Financial aid is one area of life where you do not want to be late. Since the FAFSA opens up on October 1st, you should absolutely get your FAFSA renewal in as soon as possible. Yes, we know that the deadlines may be later, but you won’t be sorry if you do get it in as soon as you can.
Submitting the FAFSA to transfer schools
If you are even thinking about transferring to a new college or university, you will want to list those new colleges on your FAFSA (even if you haven’t formally applied yet). This is just a smart way to play it safe and ensure that the colleges have the proper financial data from you. This will ensure that you won’t miss out on need-based financial aid opportunities if you do decide to transfer.
Remember, if you are trying to send your FAFSA to more than ten institutions, you will need to follow these special instructions.
Also see: Top scholarships for transfer students
Renewing merit-based scholarships
If you are receiving any merit-based scholarships you may be able to renew these awards too! This goes for both college-specific scholarships, as well as private scholarships from other organizations. Every scholarship will have its own scholarship renewal process, so you should definitely review your scholarship award letter (generally this will include information about renewing your scholarship).
Generally, there are a few big things that students must do in order to renew their scholarship:
- Maintain a specific GPA (many colleges and organizations will require a 2.0 or 3.0 GPA)
- Maintain full time student status (this usually requires a certain amount of credit hours)
However, you should always check-in with the organization that awarded your scholarship for more details!
Next Steps
Frequently asked questions about renewing the FAFSA
Do I have to renew my FAFSA every year?
Why should the FAFSA be filled out each year?
What if I forget to renew my FAFSA?
When do I have to submit my FAFSA?
