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For students planning to attend a higher education institution in California next fall, the applications for financial aid are now open. While the U.S. Department of Education announced that the 2027-2028 Free Application for Federal Student Aid form was available Sept. 23, the California Dream Act application opened Thursday.
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FAFSA is operated by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Federal Student Aid and can be filled out by U.S. citizens, permanent residents and some eligible non-citizens. It allows students to qualify for federal, state and institutional financial aid. This year marked the earliest launch in the program’s history.
The CADAA is California’s state financial aid application operated by the California Student Aid Commission. It can be filled out by undocumented students, those from mixed status families and students with temporary protected status. It allows students to qualify for state and institutional aid.
While the federal deadline for the FAFSA form is June 30 with corrections due by Sept. 12, each institution may have its own requirements. Students should check the deadlines for the colleges they are interested in. According to the CSAC website, the priority deadline for state aid is March 2. Community college students are encouraged to apply by Sept. 2.
After a student completes all application requirements and is deemed eligible, they will receive a financial aid offer from the college they applied to. The offer will detail the cost of attending the college for an academic year, as well as any grants, scholarships, work-study funds or loans they are eligible to receive.
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Most colleges send out student aid offers around the same time as admission offer letters. However, the timing can vary by college. The date the financial aid form was submitted can affect when students receive their offers.
The number of financial aid applications submitted annually by Californians is on the rise. In 2026, 2.37 million financial aid applications were submitted — about 80,000 more than in 2025. This year, more than 74% of high school seniors in the state completed either the FAFSA or CADAA by the Sept. 2 deadline. In 2025, less than 73% of the graduating class completed a financial aid application. Only 64.2% had completed an application by the deadline in 2024.
California aims to increase overall application completion by 5% in the current financial aid application cycle. Applicants can access resources on how to apply for financial aid at csac.ca.gov/apply.
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This story was originally published October 1, 2026 at 6:00 AM.