The 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the federal financial aid form students must complete to qualify for federal grants, scholarships, loans and work-study, will be available later than usual for the second year in a row. Here’s what this delay means for you.
Since 2017, students and families could begin completing and submitting their FAFSA forms on October 1 of each year. However, according to the Department of Education’s (ED) office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) the 2025-2026 FAFSA won’t be available until on or before December 1 to allow for a beta testing period of the application. Students will use this form to qualify for federal college aid for the 2025-2026 academic year.
This is the second year in a row that the ED delayed the FAFSA release. In 2023, the FAFSA was delivered to students three months later than usual to accommodate a major overhaul of the form. Then, once the form was available, users experienced technical difficulties and significant errors that further held up the application process for students, families and colleges.
The ED hopes to avoid similar issues with the 2025-2026 FAFSA by beta testing the application before releasing it to the general public. The testing will take place between Oct. 1 and Dec. 1.
Participation in the beta release is by invitation only. The ED is working with high schools, school districts, and community and government-based organizations to recruit student testers, as well as financial aid advisors and professionals from colleges and other institutes of higher learning.
The first beta testing phase began on October 1 at a FAFSA-completion event held in Broward County, Florida. The ED has created a beta web page and blog where it publishes reports about the FAFSA beta tests. According to the site, at that event alone, more than 200 students successfully submitted a FAFSA form to more than 300 different institutions with “no significant bugs discovered.”
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 FSA 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.