After a challenging 2024-25 FAFSA cycle, the U.S. Department of Education has announced a phased rollout of the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA form). The department will make the application available to all students on or before December 1.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona emphasized the department’s efforts to improve the FAFSA experience, expressing his gratitude for the partnership of stakeholders in developing a better implementation process for 2025-26.
More information about how this testing period will work will be released in the coming weeks. The top priority is ensuring students have access to the maximum federal financial aid possible to reach their education goals and provide students with a smooth experience with the 2025-26 FAFSA form.
The goal of the phased rollout of the 2025-26 FAFSA form is to work with limited groups of users to identify and resolve system errors that have affected many student contributors and colleges in the past.
Furthermore, a phased rollout will allow the department to incorporate user feedback to ensure the application’s instructions are clear and easy to use for students and contributors.
Volunteers will be invited to participate in the testing period, and over time, the form will be made available to an increasing number of participants. This process will allow the department to test and resolve issues before making the form available to all students and contributors, ensuring a smoother functionality, including submission and back-end processing.
Throughout the testing period, the department will share updates with students, families, and a broad range of community stakeholders. This communication aims to boost confidence among students, families, institutions, state agencies, and other partners and stakeholders.
The department plans to continue seeking feedback from partners through August listening sessions and a new formal request for information that will be released soon.
Additionally, the department will publish more details about what it has learned through these engagements, including releasing a new roadmap with additional tools for students and families, counselors, institutions, and other partners planning for a successful 2025-26 FAFSA season.
Have you completed your 2024–25 FAFSA® form yet? 👀
When it comes to submitting your form, the earlier, the better, so make sure you get started today at https://t.co/wdDmg7cr0I pic.twitter.com/3oBjphZGe9
— Federal Student Aid (@FAFSA) July 5, 2024
After submitting your FAFSA® form, there are other important steps to take! Here are 7️⃣ things to ✅ off your list.
Learn more: https://t.co/J3QMC4dQf8 pic.twitter.com/Ba7XMSpCEB
— Federal Student Aid (@FAFSA) July 25, 2024
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