After college students faced numerous hurdles ahead of the 2024-25 school year, the Department of Education announced a new process for accessing federal student aid for the 2025-26 year.
The Department of Education said that a limited number of students will be able to access Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms starting Oct. 1 as the department conducts tests on this year’s forms. All students will be able to fill out a FAFSA form on or before Dec. 1.
The Department of Education is hopeful that performing tests on the system before rolling it out to all students will alleviate glitches that plagued the platform prior to the 2024-25 school year.
“Following a challenging 2024-25 FAFSA cycle, the Department listened carefully to the input of students, families, and higher education institutions, made substantial changes to leadership and operations at Federal Student Aid, and is taking a new approach this year that will significantly improve the FAFSA experience,” said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Thanks to the partnership of our stakeholders, we’ve developed a better implementation process for 2025-26. I look forward to continuing to work with our partners to ensure this school year’s FAFSA implementation better serves our nation’s students.”
FAFSA has been a source of angst over the past year for those who rely on federal student loans to afford college.
FAFSA forms help colleges calculate federal Pell grants and financial aid packages for students. Congress passed a law in 2020 mandating that Department of Education officials simplify the application by requiring fewer questions. The law also enables FAFSA to pull tax information directly from the IRS and allows parents without Social Security numbers to fill out the form.
The changes also expanded eligibility for Pell grants for low-income students.
However, the update meant to widen financial aid access took months longer than expected. Other glitches in the student aid index to calculate Pell grants put the process back even further.
The National College Attainment Network has called on the Department of Education to have FAFSA forms fully available by Oct. 1.
“The stakes of another delay are clear from the ‘24/’25 cycle,” the group wrote in a letter to Cardona. “The December 30 FAFSA release, coupled with significant technical issues, repeated need for re-processing of millions of records, and inadequate customer support has resulted in FAFSA completion rates that are 13.5% lower than the previous award year for high school seniors. This drop is twice the magnitude of the FAFSA completion decline that occurred during the pandemic, which portended a 7.4% drop in college enrollment.”
In conclusion, the Department of Education’s new approach to FAFSA for the 2025-26 school year aims to address the challenges faced by students in the previous cycle. By conducting tests on the system before full implementation and making substantial changes to leadership and operations, the Department hopes to provide a smoother and more efficient FAFSA experience for students, families, and higher education institutions. This proactive approach demonstrates a commitment to improving access to federal student aid and ensuring that all students have the support they need to pursue their educational goals.
