FAFSA May Be Available Earlier Than Anticipated
Credit: J. David Ake / Getty Images News- All students may have access to the 2025-26 FAFSA by Nov. 22.
- The Department of Education previously said it wouldn’t be available to everyone until Dec. 1.
- Still, the FAFSA is typically available to all students on Oct. 1 each year.
- Last year’s FAFSA launched nearly three full months behind schedule.
Rollout of the 2025-26 FAFSA is seemingly ahead of schedule, in stark contrast to last year’s application.
The Department of Education (ED) announced Thursday that the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may be available to all students around Nov. 22.
The department had previously said the form — which is necessary for college students to access federal financial aid — would be ready for everyone Dec. 1, putting the rollout about a week ahead of schedule.
ED decided to launch the 2025-26 application in phases, following a tumultuous launch of last year’s FAFSA. Thus far, that phased rollout has gone much more smoothly.
As of Nov. 13, 95% of the over 17,250 students who have participated in the beta testing reported a positive satisfaction rating, according to Federal Student Aid (FSA). Approximately 92% of respondents said the application took a “reasonable” amount of time to complete.
ED entered phase four of the rollout Thursday.
The department clarified that while the online FAFSA may become available to all students and families before Dec. 1, those accessing the forms in late November will still be considered part of phase four of the beta testing. The official launch of the 2025-26 form is still set for Dec. 1.
Students do not need to resubmit the FAFSA if they are part of a beta phase.
“While we know that all new software launches come with hiccups, the consistency of the experience and the feedback of beta participants gives us confidence that the 2025-26 FAFSA form is ready to handle the large volume of applicants that await its arrival,” FAFSA executive advisor Jeremy Singer said in a statement.
While beta testing may be ahead of schedule, the launch of the FAFSA is not. The form is typically available to all students on Oct. 1 each year, but the rollout of a new Simplified FAFSA last year meant the form wasn’t available until Dec. 30, 2023.
A BestColleges survey of current students found that 1 in 4 (25%) say FAFSA delays affected their ability to stay enrolled in their current college program. Roughly 34% say they had difficulty filing the 2024-25 form.
Time will tell if FSA resolved most of the substantial issues.