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A more efficient process is underway for filing the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
According to U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel A. Cordona, the new process is informed by conversations with and feedback from students, institutions, and other stakeholders following a challenging 2024-25 FAFSA cycle.
“Thanks to the partnership of our stakeholders, we’ve developed a better implementation process for 2025-26,” said Cardona. “I look forward to continuing to work with our partners to ensure this school year’s FAFSA implementation better serves our nation’s students.”
The U.S. Department of Education plans to test the 2025-26 FAFSA form with a limited set of students and institutions, starting Oct. 1 and increasing the number of volunteers participants over time. The process should enable the department to test, find errors, and resolve issues — from submission to backend processing — ahead of making the FAFSA form available to all students and contributors by Dec. 1.
FSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer said stakeholders have expressed wanting a better, simpler FAFSA process that is reliable.
“In close collaboration with partners, FSA is confident we will deliver not only a better product, but also a smoother process than last year,” said Singer. “One that makes higher education more accessible and within reach for more Americans.”
The department will continue to seek feedback from our partners through August listening sessions. A new formal request for information also will be released this month.