The U.S. Education Department (ED) announced on Thursday the official release of the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) to all students and families.
After completing four rounds of beta testing, the form was released 10 days ahead of the target release date of December 1. The paper FAFSA is now available to students and families as well.
Each beta test examined student and contributor experiences filling out and submitting the form, transmission of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) to states and institutions, and student- and institution-initiated corrections. ED did not identify any “critical bugs” with the online form during beta testing, with a large majority of filers indicating a positive experience with the form. The department’s Office of Federal Student Aid has added more than 700 agents to its contact center to help students, families and institutions navigate any additional challenges now that the form is live.
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is encouraged by the results of the beta testing and the early release of the FAFSA form and will continue to monitor the rollout.
In related news, the Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the FAFSA Deadline Act, sending the bill to President Biden for his signature. The House passed the measure last week with near-unanimous support.
The bill, which AACC supports, would require the department to make the 2026-27 FAFSA and subsequent FAFSAs available to students and families on October 1. It would also require the ED to notify Congress by September 1 if it will not be able to meet the deadline.
Currently, the statutory deadline to release the form is January 1, but ED has historically released the form on October 1. The problems with rolling out the new FAFSA form and system have prompted delays.
