<p>I'm currently a high school Junior, and I want to graduate this December and start college in the spring semester (Jan. 2015). Does that mean that I should fill out the FAFSA this January or next January? </p>
<p>Also, can anyone give me advice on if it's a good or bad idea to graduate in December? I need advice. I have a 4.19 GPA and ranked #4 out of 695. I'm planning to apply for as many scholarships as I can because I know that if I graduate in December, I will miss out on scholarship opportunities since a lot of them aren't due until spring of my senior year. What do I do?</p>
<p>If you start school in January 2015, that will be part of the 2014-2015 school year and will require the 2014-15 FAFSA that became available today. You will also have to file the 2015-16 FAFSA for aid for the following school year. (you have to reapply every year).</p>
<p>Starting in the Spring can have certain disadvantages. Aid with limited funding may already have been used up for the school years. Many institutional merit awards may not be available to students starting n the spring. Also, some outside scholarships may be unavailable to you.</p>
<p>You would really need to research each school you are interested in to see what the advantages/disadvantages are to starting in the spring.</p>