Education Department announces nationwide FAFSA launch
The Education Department on Thursday announced the nationwide release of the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid. According to the announcement, the release is 10 days earlier than an original goal of making it available by Dec. 1.
According to the department, the form was influenced by beta testing conducted since Oct. 1 and development has been informed by feedback from students, parents, schools, education organizations and other groups. Four rounds of testing included more than 167,000 students and 5,200 schools, according to the announcement.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a press release he was confident the form was ready for widespread use.
“After months of hard work and lots of feedback from students, schools, and other stakeholders, we can say with confidence that FAFSA is working and will serve as the gateway to college access and affordability to millions of students,” Cardona said. “Already, over 650,000 more applicants are eligible for Pell Grants, and more students are receiving Pell Grants, this school year compared to last year. We stand ready to help millions more students complete the FAFSA and get the financial aid they need to pursue their dreams of a college education.”
The form’s release this year follows a rocky release for the previous year when bugs made the form unavailable for several months in the fall of 2023.
The Education Department noted in its announcement Thursday that it’s also expanded its FAFSA contact center by adding more than 700 agents since January and that it will add an additional 225 agents over the next few weeks for surge support.
