On What Date Is the FAFSA Considered Received By the FAFSA Processing System?

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has consistently said the FAFSA is considered complete and submitted on the date that all contributors (student, spouse, parent as applicable) complete and submit their sections, not when the student starts the FAFSA and not on the date the student completes/submits just their own section. The date that all contributors have completed and submitted their sections is the Application Receipt Date on the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) even if the school's financial aid management system (FAMS) calls it something else.

This date is important for schools that use a priority deadline to award/offer institutional funds. For example, the school's FAFSA priority filing date is March 1. If the student's FAFSA is received by the FAFSA Processing System (FPS, formerly Central Processing System) by March 1, the student is in the pool of students considered for those institutional funds.

Scenario 1:

• The student submits their section on 2/26 and sends the invite to the parent contributor.
• The parent submits their section on 3/15, so the FAFSA is complete.
• The Application Receipt Date is 3/15.

Scenario 2:

• The student submits their section on 2/26 and sends the invite to the parent contributor.
• There is no activity on the FAFSA and the parent does NOT submit their section within 45 days, so the current FAFSA is deleted.
• The student starts the FAFSA process over, submits their section on 5/15, and sends the invite to the parent contributor.
• The parent submits their part on 5/18, so the FAFSA is complete.
• The Application Receipt Date is 5/18.

Submitted Without Signatures: Both the paper and online FAFSAs can be submitted without providing consent or a signature. When this happens, the FAFSA is rejected and processed without a student aid index (SAI), and the student is not eligible for Title IV federal student aid. See AskRegs Knowledgebase Q&A, Can a FAFSA Be Submitted Without Consent and a Signature?