The official federal deadline for the FAFSA is always in September. However, individual states may have an earlier deadline; a list of these deadlines is available on the FAFSA application website.
Applications for state financial aid are handled through FAFSA, and the deadlines are determined based upon the state in which an applicant lives. Some states have a later deadline for additional community college aid. For example, California has an initial deadline of March 2nd but a later date of September 2nd for supplemental financial aid. Therefore, as long as an applicant gets the application in by the September date, he will receive some funds.
The deadlines for on-campus scholarships vary and are available in the financial aid office.
If a particular department is awarding a scholarship the deadline can vary and the department office should be contacted.
Off-campus scholarships are awarded year-round and will generally list the deadline in a description of the contest.