The U.S. Department of Education announced today that the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form will be launched through a new process. Starting on October 1, the Department will release the 2025-26 FAFSA form for testing with a limited set of students and institutions. The application will be made available to all students on or before December 1. This decision follows extensive conversations and feedback from thousands of students, institutions, and other stakeholders.
The Department plans to invite volunteers to participate in the testing period, gradually increasing the number of participants from hundreds to tens of thousands. This phased approach aims to identify and resolve issues before making the form available to all students and contributors. Full functionality, including submission and back-end processing, will be launched simultaneously.
"Following a challenging 2024-25 FAFSA cycle, the Department listened carefully to the input of students, families, and higher education institutions," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "Thanks to the partnership of our stakeholders, we’ve developed a better implementation process for 2025-26."
The phased rollout is intended to identify system errors that could affect millions of students and contributors as well as thousands of colleges. It also aims to incorporate user feedback to ensure clarity in application instructions and provide resources for those supporting students and families.
Investments through the FAFSA Student Support Strategy have significantly increased student application success rates over the past six months. The submission gap from the prior year has decreased from roughly 40% in March to under 4% as of today.
"We've heard from students, families, higher education professionals and other stakeholders loud and clear: They want a better, simpler FAFSA process," said FAFSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer. "In close collaboration with partners, FSA is confident we will deliver not only a better product but also a smoother process than last year."
Throughout the testing period, regular updates will be shared with students, families, and community stakeholders to ensure clear understanding of progress. The Department will continue seeking feedback through August listening sessions and a new formal request for information next week.
Further details about how this testing period will work are expected in coming weeks. The primary goal remains ensuring that students have access to maximum federal financial aid possible.
