Editor’s note: This story is developing and will be updated.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2025-26 academic year will be fully available by Dec. 1 — two months later than the form’s usual debut, according to an announcement Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Education.
Starting Oct. 1, the Education Department will test the new form with a limited number of students and institutions. This phased approach is aimed at ensuring complete functionality when the form fully launches, officials said in a news release.
The delay comes after a fraught financial aid cycle.
The Education Department released a new FAFSA form for the 2024-25 academic year in late December — roughly three months later than usual.
Per a congressional mandate, the Education Department revamped the application with the aim of making it easier for families and students to fill out. But the rollout was plagued by chronic delays and technical issues.
Agency officials cast the second delay in two years as a way to avoid those problems for the next aid cycle.
“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,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a Wednesday statement.
It’s critical for the Education Department to test the FAFSA to ensure it’s functional, even if that means pushing back the release date, Catherine Brown, senior director of policy and advocacy at the National College Attainment Network, said in an announcement Wednesday.
“This delayed release date is not what we had hoped, given that in years past, 50% of FAFSAs were filed prior to the end of the calendar year,” Brown wrote.
But Brown noted that it’s consistent with an earlier recommendation from NCAN and other higher education groups that urged the Education Department to “conduct the necessary testing” on the new form — even if that meant moving the release to “as late as” Dec. 1.