Will students and families have a repeat of last year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays and issues? Here’s a progress report on the 2025-2026 FAFSA, and a timeline of when you might be able to start applying for federal student aid.
The 2025-2026 FAFSA, the federal financial aid form students must complete to be considered for federal grants, scholarships, loans and work-study, has been undergoing beta testing with selected high schools, community-based organizations and colleges since October 1, 2024. The testing period was implemented to avoid the delays and technical issues that plagued the form in 2023 and held up the financial aid process for students, families and colleges.
According to a November 14, 2024 press release from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), more than 14,000 students have successfully submitted 2025–2026 FAFSA forms since the beta testing began. These forms have been processed and sent to more than 1,850 different colleges across the country. The DOE reports that no “critical” bugs have been found to date and that the FAFSA is on schedule to be released to the public on or before December 1, 2024.
While the beta testing has not detected any “critical” issues during the beta test, many bugs have been uncovered and fixed. The DOE has documented these and other issues on the FAFSA Beta Central website. The beta tests have included students and contributors from a wide range of family statuses and situations, including students who have a parent or contributor without a social security number, students who don’t live with or are not in contact with one or both parents, students who are married or serving in the military, and homeless students.
On November 13, 2024, the DOE entered the fourth beta testing phase. Thousands of new beta testers were invited to complete and submit the FAFSA during this phase. Sometime before the end of November, the DOE will open the beta test to all interested students and families. The DOE will closely monitor the FAFSA system for issues during this final testing period.
Once the DOE determines that the FAFSA system is operating smoothly and reliably, it will announce the official FAFSA release date. If you’d like to participate in the final phase of the FAFSA beta test, check the FAFSA website periodically for information.
You’ll want to complete your FAFSA form as soon as possible after it becomes available. Here are some things you can do to get a head start, according to the Federal Student Aid office.
Complete the CSS Profile if any of the colleges on your list require it. The CSS Profile is required by some 200, mostly private, colleges. It asks for much of the same information as the FAFSA but in more detail. The CSS Profile for the 2025-2026 application year is available from the College Board.
Get an early estimate of your financial aid. The 2024-2025 FAFSA delay affected some colleges’ ability to deliver financial aid offers to students in time for them to make their college decisions. It’s wise to get, as early as possible, some idea of the college’s financial aid policies and how much aid you might receive. You should be able to find net price calculators on the college’s website, which will provide an estimate of your out-of-pocket cost after financial has been awarded. Or, visit the Department of Education’s College Scorecard for a rough estimate of the aid you might receive based on your or your family’s annual income.
Read up on some common FAFSA mistakes that can delay or derail your financial aid.
Learn more about federal student loans and work-study, which may be included in your financial aid offer.
Review the basics of how to compare your financial aid awards from different schools.
Check StudentAid.gov for updates and follow them on Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube. You can follow the progress and results of the FAFSA beta tests here.