One aid question. Three deadline calendars.

“When is FAFSA due?” sounds like a request for one date. Federal Student Aid explains that federal, state, and school deadlines differ, and that state and institutional priority dates may arrive earlier. Applicants should check all relevant deadlines. Read the federal explanation.

Give each date a clear label

Review your aid page with the financial aid office. Distinguish the academic year, the source of the deadline, the action required, and whether it is a priority date. Link to the official current source instead of relying on an old screenshot.

Give your front office a response pattern

“Which academic year are you applying for? Federal, state, and school deadlines can differ. Here is our financial aid office’s current deadline page, and here is how to contact the team about your situation.”

This is a communication template, not an eligibility determination. Have your own financial aid team adapt it to the institution’s process.

Review before publishing

• Every date names an academic year.
• School and state dates are not presented as the federal deadline.
• The page identifies the financial aid office as the owner.
• A reader who has missed a date can find a human contact.
• Old PDFs and search-visible pages point readers toward current information.

Use these boxes during your review, or print the guide. Selections are not saved.

Use the current official sources for dates. This guide deliberately avoids reproducing a single deadline that could be mistaken for the answer for every applicant.