U.S. Department of Education releases 2025-26 FAFSA after beta testing

The U.S. Department of Education released the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) earlier than expected last week, following recent efforts to modernize and streamline the process.

According to an announcement, the online FAFSA form is available to all students and families at FAFSA.gov, and the department is processing submissions and sending them to schools. The paper form is also now available for students to submit.

The news release said the department incorporated feedback from students, parents, schools, community-based organizations, and other partners into the FAFSA process and tested the FAFSA form, system, and user supports at scale prior to this year’s launch. It said more than 167,000 students have submitted the online 2025–26 application during four rounds of beta testing since October, adding that the department has processed these forms and sent records to more than 5,200 schools across the U.S. 

In addition, the announcement said, department officials tested the application with a variety of student groups, such as students who “faced particular challenges last year.” The department also engaged with different colleges and universities, software vendors, state agencies, and federal partners to test FAFSA data and systems. 

"I'm pleased to announce that after four successful rounds of beta testing, the 2025–26 FAFSA form is now available to all students and families,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a public statement. “After months of hard work and lots of feedback from students, schools, and other stakeholders, we can say with confidence that FAFSA is working and will serve as the gateway to college access and affordability to millions of students. 

“Already, over 650,000 more applicants are eligible for Pell Grants, and more students are receiving Pell Grants, this school year compared to last year.  We stand ready to help millions more students complete the FAFSA and get the financial aid they need to pursue their dreams of a college education.”

According to the announcement, the department recently took several steps to modernize internal systems and processes, address issues in the FAFSA system and improve functionality of the form. In addition, the Department released and updated resources and materials to help students and families better navigate the FAFSA form and process, which has been criticized in the past for being too complicated for some applicants.  

“We need a better FAFSA form to deliver financial aid to students going to college and other forms of education after high school,” U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said. “Thank you to everyone who has helped the 2025–26 FAFSA launch successfully and ahead of schedule, including students and families, Department staff, and financial aid administrators and counselors across the country.”

The announcement added that the department anticipates “high demand” for the FAFSA this year. Noting that demand, officials said the department “significantly increased staffing” at the Federal Student Aid Information Center by hiring more than 700 agents since January and an additional 225 agents over the next few weeks for ongoing support at the contact center. 

“The 2025–26 FAFSA form that we officially released today is the same form that has been live for the past 7 weeks for the more than 140,000 students who successfully submitted applications. Our comprehensive beta testing with community-based organizations, high schools and school districts, colleges and universities, software vendors, and state agencies across the country follows industry best practices and has given us the confidence that our systems are ready,” FAFSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer said. 

The Department will begin processing paper forms by early December. For more information on this year’s FAFSA, visit studentaid.gov.