For thousands of families, the first year of college comes with a difficult financial surprise: a completed FAFSA that results in little or no aid. That disappointment often leads parents to assume the answer won’t change, so they skip the application in later years.

But financial aid eligibility is recalculated annually, meaning sophomore year can look very different from freshman year. Income shifts, one-time earnings falling off your tax return, changes in household size, or updated formulas can reshape the picture.

Federal aid isn’t the only factor. Colleges themselves may free up institutional dollars after the first year, especially when one-in-three students don't return to campus. Financial aid offices may also reconsider students who may have been on the margins of eligibility the previous cycle.

That’s exactly what happened to the family of Joe Saul-Sehy, co-host of Stacking Benjamins. His daughter received no need-based aid as a freshman. But the next year, after submitting the FAFSA again, she was offered a generous aid package. Nothing shifted financially for the family—but it did for the college.

Their experience mirrors what financial aid officers say every year: students who skip the FAFSA after freshman year often leave money unused.

How Financial Aid Eligibility Can Change Year-To-Year

Financial aid formulas rely on federal tax data pulled from a specific year, and that data changes with each new FAFSA cycle. If a family experienced a dip in income, even a modest one, the change can improve eligibility for Pell Grants or institutional aid.

Households that had a temporary spike in earnings during the first year (bonuses, selling assets, contract work) may find that those numbers no longer appear on the next tax return.

Colleges also face their own changing circumstances. Some institutions allocate more of their aid budget to continuing students than first-years because returning students are more predictable for retention and enrollment planning. Once a student proves they are academically successful and likely to stay, aid becomes an investment for the school.

Financial aid officers may also use different packaging strategies for sophomores, especially when they are trying to reduce attrition or support students in fields with lab fees or higher tuition bands.

Families rarely see these internal adjustments, but they benefit from them. Even if a FAFSA result isn’t drastically different, the college can choose to award its own funds in a new way.

What This Means For Families

Skipping the FAFSA removes any chance of accessing federal aid, institutional grants, work-study, or certain state financial aid programs. Even for higher-income families, the form can unlock money that doesn’t depend on need, including merit programs that require a completed application for institutional tracking.

Submitting the form each year also creates a record that allows the financial aid office to intervene if circumstances change mid-year. Students whose parents face a job loss, medical expenses, or reduced work hours can request an appeal, but only if a FAFSA is on file.

For families whose finances appear stable, sophomore year aid can still take unexpected forms. Some colleges award retention grants or departmental scholarships that automatically consider FAFSA data. Others identify students who narrowly missed first-year eligibility and extend support once more budget becomes available.

Joe Saul-Sehy’s family never expected any aid after their daughter’s freshman year. But filling out the FAFSA unlocked that free money. Without the form, no aid would have been offered — even though the money was there.

What To Do Next

Students heading into sophomore year should treat the FAFSA as a routine part of enrollment. Families can:

• File the FAFSA every year, even if the prior year resulted in no aid.
• Review income changes, including one-time events that have dropped off your tax return.
• Ask the financial aid office whether the institution adjusts awards for returning students.
• Track deadlines, especially for state programs that award money on a first-come basis.
• Prepare documentation in case circumstances change and a professional judgment request becomes necessary.
• Check out the college guide. The College Investor's Planning For College Guide is updated monthly and has key reminders like this!

The FAFSA often feels like a one-time hurdle, but it functions more like an annual financial check-in. Many households assume their situation is static, yet aid offices see year-to-year variability in almost every income group.

Sophomore year can open doors that were closed the first time. As Joe Saul-Sehy’s family learned, the answer one year is not the answer forever.

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