Last year, the Department of Education released an updated version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This rollout was marred by technical difficulties and other delays, leading to frustration from students and their families and college access professionals. As students begin to work on college applications and financial aid this year, the Department of Education continues to work on correcting previous errors in the form and ensuring a smoother process for everyone involved.
Last week, Secretary Cardona sent a letter and white paper to all leaders of higher education institutions to discuss the recent changes, progress and updates made to the FAFSA ahead of its complete rollout later this year. With bipartisan pressure to provide a better experience this year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report and list of recommendations to the Department on how they can improve this year’s FAFSA rollout.
The Department of Education’s white paper outlines updates on steps they are currently taking to ensure a smoother and more effective FAFSA process, which are in line with recommendations laid out by the GAO. These steps include:
- Providing early and predictable timelines and launching core functions at the same time
- Ensuring the form is functioning as intended
- Increasing transparency
- Improving resources for students and families to navigate the form
- Providing resources to counselors, institutions, states and other critical partners
- Ensuring the Federal Student Aid Information Center has sufficient capacity to handle outreach
- Improving the user experience
- Addressing ongoing issues experienced by mixed-status families
- Alleviating the additional burden on institutions
On October 1, the first Beta testing period for the form was opened to community-based organizations (CBOs) and institutions of higher education that submitted interest forms and were selected to participate. These participants will provide feedback and collaborate with the Department through four rounds of testing, with increasing participation in each round. The Department aims to launch the full form to all applications by December 1.
In the meantime, the Department has several new resources regarding FAFSA, including a revised Federal Student Aid Estimator, a 2025-26 FAFSA prototype, new resources for applicants to create a StudentAid.Gov account and a “Federal Financial Aid Bootcamp,” to occur on October 23. This free, one-day webinar series was created for students, parents and college access professionals. ACTE will continue to share updates on this year’s FAFSA rollout and additional resources as they become available, so keep an eye on the blog and our social media (@ACTEpolicy on X).
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