It is best to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible on or after the October 1 start date. The FAFSA becomes available each year on the October 1 before the start of the academic year. (Previously, the FAFSA had a January 1 start date. This changed to October 1, three months earlier, starting with the 2017u20132022 FAFSA.)Students who file the FAFSA earlier may qualify for more financial aid.A dozen states award state grants on a first-come, first-served basis, until the money runs out. In most states the funds are depleted within the first 2u20133 months.A dozen or so additional states have February or March deadlines for state grants.Students who are applying early action or early decision should file the FAFSA sooner, so that they can get an actual financial aid award letter with the early offer of admission.Some colleges have very early deadlines for their own financial aid funds. Other colleges have two deadlines, and there is a larger pool of funds for students who apply by the priority deadline.Colleges have fixed allocations of campus-based aid funds, such as the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant and the Federal Work-Study Program. Students who apply earlier are more likely to be awarded campus-based aid.Most families will have already filed federal income tax returns by the October 1 start date, so filing the FAFSA earlier is easy.