Pell Grants, the FAFSA and aid offers
Pin the aid year to your wall, one season at a time.
Pellwyn keeps a month-by-month aid calendar for families working through the FAFSA, Pell Grants and college aid offers. Each entry says what usually happens in that stretch of the year, what to have ready, and where the official date is posted.
- Not a school, a college or an aid office
- We do not offer loans.
- Reminder texts only if you tick the box yourself
Why a calendar beats a stack of tabs
Financial aid for college runs on a loop that repeats every year. The federal form opens, states and colleges set their own priority dates, offers arrive, decisions are due, money is sent to the school, and then the loop starts again for the next year. Most of the stress comes from finding out about a date after it has passed. A wall calendar fixes that in a low-tech way: you can see the whole year at once, and nothing hides behind a login.
The Pellwyn calendar is written for a household, not for a campus office. It explains what tends to happen in each part of the year and links to the guide that covers it in depth. It never invents a deadline. When a date belongs to the federal student aid office, a state agency or a particular college, the entry tells you where that date is posted so you can copy the real one onto your own wall.
Read the season you are in
Open the calendar and find the current stretch of months. Each entry lists the usual tasks for that season, such as gathering tax records in early fall or comparing offers in spring.
Write in your official dates
Look up the dates that apply to you on studentaid.gov, your state aid agency's site and each college's aid page. Write them on your own copy so the real deadlines sit next to our notes.
Get a nudge when a season turns
If you like, tick the box on the get-started form to receive the same dated calendar reminders we send everyone on the list. Up to 8 messages per month, and STOP ends them at once.
The aid year in four seasons
Exact days change from year to year and from state to state, but the shape of the year is steady enough to plan around. These four blocks match the full calendar page.
Fall: the form opens
The FAFSA for the coming school year has recently opened between late September and the end of December. Set up StudentAid.gov accounts for the student and each contributor before the rush.
Winter: priority dates
Many states and colleges set priority dates from January through March. Some state programs pay out until their money runs low, so earlier filing tends to help.
Spring: offers and choices
Aid offers usually reach admitted students in March and April. Many colleges ask for an enrollment decision around the start of May.
Summer: money moves
A new federal award year starts on July 1. Schools apply grants to the first bill, and families settle any balance before classes begin.
Guides behind the calendar
Each calendar season points to a longer guide containing a worked example, a reference table, a short checklist and the questions worth asking a college aid office.
FAFSA season: what to line up before the form opens
Accounts, contributors, tax year and school list, in the order that saves the most time.
How a Pell Grant amount is worked out
The Student Aid Index, cost of attendance and enrollment level, with the arithmetic shown.
Comparing aid offers line by line
How to pull the grant money out of each letter and see what a year would actually cost.
Words you will meet on the calendar
A handful of terms come up again and again. The key terms page has the full list.
- FAFSA
- The federal form that colleges and most states use to decide grant aid for a school year.
- Student Aid Index (SAI)
- A number calculated from the FAFSA. Lower numbers point to more need-based grant money.
- Pell Grant
- Federal grant money for undergraduates who show financial need. Students keep it.
- Cost of attendance
- A college's estimate of a full year: tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation and personal costs.
- Priority date
- The day a college or state wants your FAFSA by if you want the first look at limited grant funds.
- Contributor
- Anyone, such as a parent or spouse, whose information and consent the FAFSA requires.
Questions families ask first
Short answers here, longer ones on the FAQ page.
Are the dates on the calendar official?
No. Our entries describe typical timing. Official dates come from studentaid.gov, your state aid agency and each college, and every entry tells you where to look.
Does Pellwyn file the FAFSA for me?
No. Only the student and contributors can file, through StudentAid.gov. Pellwyn explains the steps and the timing; it never asks for your FSA ID or tax records.
What do the reminder texts say?
Each one names a calendar entry, such as the fall opening of the form or the spring offer season, and links back to the calendar page. One shared set goes to every subscriber.
Do I have to sign up to use the calendar?
No. Every page is open to read. The get-started form is only for people who want the guides by email or the optional reminder texts.
Keep the aid year in view
Read the calendar, copy your official dates onto it, and choose whether you want the reminders.