As students, families and colleges prepare for the 2025-26 academic year, significant changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are underway. After a tumultuous 2024 rollout, the Department of Education is implementing a phased approach to improve the user experience and prevent the issues seen last year. Here’s an overview of the latest updates and what you can expect.
Phased Rollout for 2025-26 FAFSA
To address the challenges faced during the previous cycle, the U.S. Department of Education is introducing a staggered launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA. The application form will be fully available to all students by December 1, 2024, which is two months later than usual. This phased approach aims to catch and resolve issues before the form is widely accessible.
Starting October 1, 2024, the first group of students from six community-based organizations will begin testing the form. Initially, the department expected 100 participants, but that number has since increased to 1,000 students, according to FAFSA executive adviser Jeremy Singer. These organizations include:
– Alabama Possible
– Bridge 2 Life (Florida)
– College AIM (Georgia)
– Education is Freedom (Texas)
– The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara (California)
– The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria (Virginia)
During this first phase, students will submit their FAFSA, make corrections if necessary, and have their records sent to colleges and state agencies for financial aid offers.
Upcoming Testing Stages
In addition to the first group, the Department of Education has announced 78 more organizations, schools, and governmental entities will participate in three additional testing phases. Notably, three organizations from the initial group—Bridge 2 Life, Education is Freedom, and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria—will also take part in these subsequent stages. These testing periods will gradually expand the number of students who can access the FAFSA, ensuring any issues are addressed early in the process.
Key Improvements and Tools for Families
To help families and students prepare for the 2025-26 FAFSA, the Department has introduced several new tools and resources:
- Federal Student Aid Estimator: A revised version of the estimator tool is now available to help families better understand their potential aid.
- Updated StudentAid.Gov Resources: These include guides for creating accounts and a “parent wizard” designed to assist families with children applying for aid.
- Prototype FAFSA: An updated version of the FAFSA form is available for review, giving students and families a preview of the new layout and features.
These updates aim to simplify the FAFSA process, particularly for families without Social Security numbers, a group that faced significant challenges during the 2024-25 cycle.
Addressing Previous FAFSA Failures
The decision to adopt a phased rollout for the 2025-26 FAFSA comes in response to the highly publicized problems that plagued last year’s application cycle. An investigation by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that the Department of Education did not fully test the form before its release, leading to significant technical and communication failures:
- Call Center Overload: The call center received over 5.4 million calls, but three-quarters of those went unanswered due to inadequate staffing. To address this, the Department has since added more than 700 new call center agents to meet increased demand.
- Errors in Financial Aid Estimates: More than 500,000 students received incorrect aid estimates due to calculation errors, which severely affected their ability to make informed college decisions. The Department has committed to fixing these errors moving forward.
Strengthened Leadership and New Plans
In response to these failures, the Department of Education has made several key changes to its leadership team, including hiring a new chief operating officer for the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA). The department has outlined 10 steps it’s taking to improve the FAFSA application process, including enhanced risk management and ensuring that technical glitches are resolved before full release.
What to Expect Moving Forward
While the FAFSA will be fully available later than in previous years, students and families can expect a more reliable and streamlined process. By expanding testing phases and improving communication with colleges, the Department aims to ensure a smoother rollout and more accurate financial aid information.
The phased approach and additional resources mark a critical moment for the FAFSA, as officials work to rebuild public trust and provide students with the support they need for their higher education journey.
For more information and updates, visit the Department of Education’s official FAFSA website.
By Cat Hollands, Capture Client Trainer, Capture Higher Ed