For California students, there are two key FAFSA “due dates” to know:

  • Federal FAFSA deadline (for federal aid):
    For the 2025–26 school year , you can submit the FAFSA until June 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
  • California state / Cal Grant priority deadline:
    California sets an earlier priority deadline for state aid (like Cal Grant), which is generally around March 2 of the relevant year; many California colleges (like UC, CSU, and privates) also use this early date as their own priority deadline.

In practice, if you’re in California and want maximum aid (state + school

  • federal), aim to submit your FAFSA by early March of the year before/when you start college, even though the official federal form stays open until June 30 of that academic year.

A simple way to remember it:

  • “March = priority money, June 30 = last-chance federal deadline.”