College students know all too well that making sure there is enough money in the bank to pay for school can be stressful. But now, the government is giving students a greater chance to earn free money. 

THE FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application usually opens on January 1st. But, families either forget, don’t have the time or the date came long before parents’ tax returns were filed. Now, the burden of rushing to fill out all of the paperwork on time is over.

Instead of a January 1st kickoff date, the application opens October 1st.

The White House and The Department of Education decided to make the change so more students will be able to apply. Families can use their 2015 tax returns, making the process much faster and will have time to compare options.

The government thinks an earlier date will improve enrollment numbers because more people will be able to afford college.

The online application will also have a sign-up and password recovery system called the FSA ID. Any personal information shared will be highly secured.