Making Changes to Your FAFSA After You Submit It

You can edit your FAFSA after you submit it, but only during specific windows and only through the official FAFSA website

Once you submit your FAFSA, you are not locked out forever. The U.S. Department of Education allows you to make changes to your submitted form, but the ability to edit depends on where your process is in the review process. If your FAFSA is still being processed by the federal government, you can log back in and change almost any information. If it has already been sent to your schools, you can still edit it, but the changes take longer to reach them.

The key is knowing where to make those edits. You must return to studentaid.gov — the official FAFSA site — and log in with your FSA ID. You cannot edit through your school's financial aid office, a third-party tax software, or any other portal. Only changes made directly on studentaid.gov will be processed by the Department of Education and sent to your schools.

Timing matters. If you catch an error within a few days of submitting, your school will likely see the corrected version before they even review your original submission. If weeks have passed, your school may have already reviewed the old information, and you will need to contact them separately to make sure they use the updated data.

Key Takeaways

You can edit your FAFSA on studentaid.gov after submission by logging in with your FSA ID and selecting the option to make changes.
Changes made while your FAFSA is still under federal review reach your schools automatically, but changes made after it has been sent to schools may require you to notify them directly.
Common reasons to edit include correcting income figures, updating your address, changing your school list, or fixing a name or date of birth error.
Editing your FAFSA does not restart the review process or delay your financial aid package if the change is minor and made early.

How to edit your FAFSA on studentaid.gov

Log in to studentaid.gov using your FSA ID and password. Once you are on your dashboard, you should see your submitted FAFSA listed. Click on it to open your form. You will see a button or link that says something like "Make Changes" or "Edit FAFSA" — the exact wording varies slightly depending on the year, but it is always visible on the form summary page.

When you click to edit, you will be taken back into the form itself. You can change any field: income, assets, family size, school list, dependency status, or personal information. After you make your changes, scroll to the end of the form and submit it again. The Department of Education will process the updated version and send the new information to your schools.

Do not use a saved draft or an incomplete version. If you started a FAFSA but never submitted it, that is a separate draft and will not be processed. Make sure you are editing your actual submitted FAFSA, not creating a new one.

What happens to your financial aid package when you edit

If you edit your FAFSA before your school has reviewed it, the school will see only the updated version. Your aid package will be based on the corrected information, and there is no delay. This is the best-case scenario — you catch the error early and everything moves forward normally.

If your school has already reviewed your original FAFSA and sent you a financial aid package, editing your FAFSA does not automatically update that package. Your school will eventually receive the updated information, but they may not recalculate your aid right away. You should contact your school's financial aid office directly and tell them you have made changes to your FAFSA. Provide them with the specific changes you made so they can decide whether to recalculate your package.

Some changes trigger a faster response than others. If you corrected your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or your dependency status, most schools will recalculate quickly. If you only updated your address or phone number, they may not recalculate at all. The school's financial aid office can tell you whether your specific change will affect your aid.

Common mistakes that require editing

Income and tax information errors are the most frequent reason people need to edit. You may have entered last year's income by mistake, or you may have misread a number from your tax return. If you reported $50,000 when you meant to report $35,000, that changes your Expected Family Contribution significantly, and your aid package will be wrong until you correct it.

Family size changes also require editing. If you listed four family members but you actually have five, or if someone in your household is no longer a dependent, you need to update this. Family size directly affects how much aid you are considered to need.

School list errors are another common fix. You may have added the wrong school code, misspelled a school name, or included a school you no longer plan to attend. You can remove schools from your list or add new ones by editing your FAFSA. This is important because each school you list receives your FAFSA information, and removing a school prevents them from seeing your data if you have decided not to attend.

Personal information mistakes — a misspelled name, wrong date of birth, or incorrect Social Security number — must be corrected when ready. These errors can delay processing or cause your FAFSA to be rejected during verification.

When editing takes longer to process

Most edits are processed within one to three business days. However, if your edit involves information that triggers verification — such as a significant change to your income or family size — the Department of Education may flag your FAFSA for additional review. This can add one to two weeks to the processing time.

If you edit your FAFSA after your school has already reviewed it, the school may not see the change for several days or even weeks, depending on how often they read updated FAFSA data from the federal system. Some schools check daily; others check weekly. Contact your school's financial aid office to find out their schedule and to make sure they are aware of your changes.

Edits made very close to a school's financial aid important date may not be processed in time to affect your aid package for that year. If you are near a important date, call your school's financial aid office when ready rather than relying on the online edit alone.

What you cannot change on your FAFSA

You can edit almost everything on your FAFSA, but a few fields are locked after submission. Your Social Security number cannot be changed online — if it is wrong, you must contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or visit studentaid.gov/contact-support to request a correction.

Your citizenship status also cannot be edited after submission if you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. If you made an error in this field, you will need to contact Federal Student Aid directly with proof of your status.

If you need to change your name legally, you should update it in the Social Security Administration's records first, then contact Federal Student Aid to have your FAFSA corrected to match.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long after I submit my FAFSA can I edit it?

You can edit your FAFSA at any time after submission, even months later. However, edits made closer to the submission important date are more likely to reach your schools before they review your process. The FAFSA submission window typically closes on June 30 each year, but you can edit your form after that date if you submitted it before the important date.

Will editing my FAFSA delay my financial aid?

Not if you edit early. If you make changes within a few days of submitting, your school will likely see the corrected version before they process your aid. If you edit weeks later, after your school has already reviewed your original FAFSA, there may be a delay while the school recalculates your package. Contact your school's financial aid office to find out their timeline.

Do I need to tell my school that I edited my FAFSA?

If you edit your FAFSA while it is still under federal review, the Department of Education will send the updated information to your schools automatically. If your school has already reviewed your original FAFSA and sent you a financial aid package, you should contact them directly to let them know about the changes and ask whether they will recalculate your aid.

What if I made a mistake on my parents' information?

You can edit your parents' information on your FAFSA the same way you edit any other field. Log in to studentaid.gov, open your submitted FAFSA, and click to make changes. Update the parent information and resubmit. If the change affects your Expected Family Contribution, your school will recalculate your aid once they receive the updated information.

Can I add or remove schools from my FAFSA after I submit it?

Yes. You can add new schools or remove schools you no longer plan to attend by editing your FAFSA on studentaid.gov. When you resubmit, the Department of Education will send your FAFSA to the new schools and will stop sending it to any schools you removed. This usually takes a few business days to process.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.