The U.S. Department of Education has reported that over 1.5 million students have submitted their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2025–26 academic year. Since its release on November 21, the department has processed and sent seven million student records to educational institutions and states.
The FAFSA form underwent nearly two months of beta testing with 167,000 participants before becoming widely available. The department claims that FAFSA forms are being processed within one business day, supported by an increased number of agents at the Federal Student Aid Information Center, reducing wait times to under two minutes.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stated, "We are proud to say that the FAFSA form is working, and over 1.5 million students have successfully submitted their 2025–26 forms." He emphasized the importance of a smoother process for students and families in accessing financial aid.
This week saw the deployment of 49 updates to improve FAFSA usability, including enhanced accessibility on certain web browsers and changes for households with a "married filing jointly" tax status.
To boost submission rates among high school students, the Department announced $50 million in federal funds for organizations supporting FAFSA completion. Under Secretary James Kvaal remarked on this initiative's importance: “Every year, millions of students and families rely on the help of college counselors, financial aid administrators, and other educators.”
An additional $10 million will be allocated to assist lower-resourced higher education institutions in preparing their systems for processing financial aid linked to the new FAFSA form.
In an effort to raise awareness about FAFSA completion, the Department is conducting a Week of Action involving various educational organizations across different states.
The Department also introduced new permanent leadership roles within its FAFSA team. Aaron Lemon-Strauss has been appointed as Program Executive Director while Chris Cummings will serve as Acting Technology Advisor.
Efforts continue to support students and families through resources such as webinars and extended contact center hours available in multiple languages until March 2, 2025.
