Applying again every year

Aid is awarded one year at a time. To keep it, you file again and keep making progress in your program.

Filing every year

The FAFSA for each school year opens the October before. Returning students file it again, and much of the form carries forward. Your new income information may change your aid, up or down.

What to do

• File the FAFSA every year you study
• Learn your school’s academic progress rules
• Check your lifetime Pell use on StudentAid.gov

Satisfactory academic progress

Colleges set standards called satisfactory academic progress: a minimum grade average, a share of attempted credits you complete, and a limit on how long the program can take. Falling short can pause federal aid. Most schools let you appeal with an explanation and a plan.

Keeping aid takes two things each year: a new FAFSA and steady progress in class.

Lifetime limits

Pell Grants have a lifetime limit, and federal loans have total borrowing limits. Your StudentAid.gov account shows how much of each you have used. Check it before planning a long program or a change of major.