By Catherine Brown, Senior Director, Policy and Advocacy
Reading time: Two minutes
Today, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) will be released on December 1, 2024, with full, end-to-end functionality. The outreach tools and resources that typically accompany the form will be released in advance and FAFSA processing will occur within one
to three days of submission. If realized, this announcement means that the system will be fully functional for all students on December 1, 2024.
FSA also announced that it will begin FAFSA testing cycles in selected locations starting in October and will grow the number of FAFSAs it tests over time. Students who submit the FAFSA during the testing phase will not need to re-submit once the form
is live. This approach will allow FSA to identify software issues that only become clear once the data has traveled through the system, increasing confidence that applicants, families, state and college administrators will have a smooth experience
when using the system.
This delayed release date is not what we had hoped, given that in years past, 50% of FAFSAs were filed prior to the end of the calendar year. But this announcement is consistent with NCAN’s recommendation that the form be released only when it is “fully functional, reliable, and predictable for all students - no matter how complex their circumstances - from the first time they log on until they receive their financial
aid offers.” This announcement also offers the transparency and certainty that we have been seeking about the timeline. As NCAN wrote in a coalition letter recently, “meeting deadlines is critically important; just as important is transparency about when deadlines will not be met.”
By announcing a timeline for release well in advance, FSA is enabling the college access field to schedule FAFSA completion events and adequately plan for how to support students through the process. The agency is also enabling postsecondary institutions
to ready their systems to receive processed FAFSAs, set deadlines, and prepare financial aid offers. “We acknowledge this is a difficult trade-off between functionality and the release date. We appreciate the certainty and transparency that this announcement
provides to the college access field,” said Kim Cook, NCAN’s CEO. “Counselors and educational leaders can now plan their FAFSA support strategies with the understanding that students who complete the form will receive financial aid awards in a timely
manner.”
The trade-off between functionality and timeliness is one that NCAN has wrestled with and discussed at length with our partners and members. Ultimately, we concluded that it’s imperative that FSA conduct the necessary testing to ensure a reliable, functional
FAFSA - even if doing so requires delaying the release date. “It’s essential that FSA deliver a FAFSA with end-to-end functionality by December 1. Our students need to know they can afford college and stay on track to enroll,” said Cook.
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