What does the FAFSA mean by academic year?

Question

Suppose you go to college with credits, which makes you an academic sophomore. I would assume you should go with the # of years you spend in college, not your academic progression, when filling out the FAFSA, correct?

Answer 1

I took a look at the Free Application for Federal Student Aid pdf for 2022-2023

#29. What will your college grade level be when you begin the 2022-2023 school year?

0. Never attended college and 1st year undergraduate
1. Attended college before and 1st year undergraduate
2. 2nd year undergraduate/sophomore
3. 3rd year undergraduate/junior
4. 4th year undergraduate/senior
5. 5th year/other undergraduate
6. 1st year college graduate/professional (MBA, MD, PhD, etc.)
7. Continuing graduate/professional or beyond (MBA, MD, PhD, etc.)

So if you have earned college credits (from the AP program or the IB program, or some sort of dual enrollment program), then the FAFSA you fill out before you complete high school the correct answer will be 0 or 1. I would pick 0 (never attended) if the only class credit was from AP or IB.

I don't think that this question other than the difference between 5, 6, and 7, makes a big difference.

Remember most people fill out the form many months before they know how many credits they will have when they start in the following fall. If they are in high school then they still have APO and IB exams ahead. If they are in college they still have Fall 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022 class grades ahead. They have zero idea what classes will be offered next summer, let alone what grades they will get.