Before students can pack for Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Grand Rapids or anywhere in between, many Michigan families have one important form to tackle first: the FAFSA. Michigan students looking for financial aid for the 2027–28 school year should mark two dates on their calendars: October 1, when the FAFSA opens, and May 1, the state priority deadline for several Michigan aid programs.
What information do I need to know/have before filling out the form?
To complete the 2027–28 FAFSA, you need your 2025 federal tax returns (IRS Form 1040), W-2 forms, and personal identification (Social Security number).
You need to file your taxes in order to fill out the form. If you are in a special category that doesn’t require filing taxes, you must specify that in the form.
Note that the form will not be considered unless it is completed in its entirety, including all questions.
How do I get started with the FAFSA?
The first step is to create an FSA ID username and password for you and parents or a spouse, if they are required contributors. A social security number is also required to fill out, if applicable.
If one is a resident alien or a green card holder, then that number is necessary to enter. Knowing the birth dates and full legal names of everyone involved in the family is necessary.
How long do I have to fill out the form?
For the 2027-2028 school year, the opening date to fill out the form is October 1, 2026. FAFSA filers have until June 30, 2027 to submit the form, which is the federal deadline. Due dates can differ by state.
For Michigan, you must have your FAFSA submitted by May 1, 2027 to be considered for programs like the Michigan Competitive Scholarship and Michigan Tuition Grant.
According to the Federal Student Aid website, the deadline to submit any federal FAFSA corrections or updates is September 12, 2027.
Is there a limit/cap to how much aid families can receive?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA, reduced the loan disbursement amounts for professional degrees. By phasing out Graduate PLUS loans and setting hard caps, which went into effect July 1, new borrowers in professional programs face strict annual and aggregate limits. The new loan cap sits at $50,000 per year.
For parents taking out Parent PLUS Loans, parents are now limited to taking out only $20,000 for each dependent student, with parent borrowers having an overall borrowing limit of $65,000.
These changes may mean students or their families will need to use a combination of private and federal loans to meet the rising cost of college. Seeking out scholarships or other loan options at local banks and credit unions may also help meet the need.
What does the state of Michigan offer to students?
According to Michigan’s Scholarships and Grants Annual Report for the 2024-2025 school year, 180,048 students in Michigan received nearly $560 million in financial aid. You can find the state’s scholarship and grant programs here.
The largest program the state offers is the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which is “designed to help recent high school graduates in Michigan receive funds for continuing education,” according to the state’s website. The program provides financial aid to eligible students to attend college or university, or for a career training program with the Michigan Achievement Skills Scholarship. For the 2024-2025 school year, 89,237 eligible students were awarded nearly $382 million in scholarships, averaging about $4,276 per student, according to the state’s Achievement Scholarship data dashboard.
Aid is available to students regardless of whether or not they’ve just graduated. Programs like Michigan Reconnect were created to originally help Michiganders over 25, who don’t already have a college degree, attend community colleges in their district, or receive a large tuition discount if they attend a community college outside of their district. Michigan’s recent budget expanded the program's reach to adults 21-24 in age as well.
Potential students must fill out the FAFSA to be considered for many of these grant and scholarship awards.
I don’t think I need any aid. Should I still fill it out?
It’s recommended that all families fill out the FAFSA, because even people who traditionally are well off or make what they may consider “enough” money can still receive some aid — a lot of grants or loans are given on a first come, first serve basis depending on the order of when the forms get processed, in order of submission. Many scholarship or tuition incentive programs require students to have filled out the FAFSA to qualify.
Can ICE/DHS track me or my parents if I fill out the FAFSA?
The FAFSA form does not require information regarding citizenship status of parents or students, and there is a check box option for if the filer does not own a social security number.
The Department of Education cannot hand over records due to privacy laws or share data, as there is no data-sharing agreement between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, exact certainty cannot be guaranteed, as changing administration policies and new regulations are requiring a much more cautious approach for some families.
