The U.S. Department of Education today released additional details regarding the upcoming beta testing period for the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). High schools, community-based organizations (CBOs), institutions of higher education, and state entities are now invited to submit interest forms to participate in the subsequent stages of testing. These stages include Beta 2 (launching in mid-October), Beta 3 (early November), and Beta 4 (mid-November).
“Through October and November, we will expand our testing to include tens of thousands of students and many different types of high schools and postsecondary institutions,” said FAFSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer. “Testing the FAFSA system with real students and institutions in a wide range of contexts is critical to ensuring a successful launch by Dec. 1, and we are grateful to the many organizations that will help us achieve this goal.”
The initial Beta testing period—Beta 1—begins on Oct. 1. During this phase, CBOs and their partnered institutions of higher education will assist hundreds of students at in-person FAFSA form completion events.
“We are grateful for the hard work of so many dedicated college counselors, financial aid advisers, and other educators who share our goal of helping all students get the help they need to pay for college,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal.
Organizations participating in Beta 1 include Alabama Possible, Bridge2Life, CollegeAIM, Education is Freedom, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.
The Department's beta testing program has been designed based on feedback from stakeholders about their experiences with the previous FAFSA rollout. The aim is to maximize user experience by identifying and resolving potential system errors.
The beta testing period will involve stages with increasing scale: Beta 1 includes hundreds of students recruited by CBOs; Beta 2 will involve thousands; later stages are expected to engage tens of thousands.
Throughout these stages, different types of organizations will recruit students and assist them through the FAFSA submission process. This includes:
- CBOs holding FAFSA completion sessions
- High schools conducting similar sessions
- Institutions recruiting returning students to submit their FAFSA forms
Interested parties can fill out an interest form for Betas 2-4 if they represent a CBO or government entity supporting FAFSA completion events, high school or school district, or postsecondary institution. Postsecondary systems should have individual member institutions complete separate forms.
By working with a diverse array of organizations, the Department aims to test the FAFSA form across various student populations to identify and fix major issues before it becomes available universally.
Regular updates will be shared with parents, students, and other stakeholders until the form's full release. Investments through the Department’s FAFSA Student Support Strategy have significantly increased student application rates; as reported early September, approximately 500,000 more applicants are eligible for Pell Grants compared to last year—a six percent increase.
