2026-27 FAFSA Updates: What Students Need to Know About Federal Financial Aid
Credit: Kevin Carter / Getty Images News / Getty Images North America- The Department of Education launched the 2026-27 FAFSA on Sept. 24.
- That’s the first time in three years the department launched by Oct. 1, and the earliest the FAFSA has ever launched.
- Rollout of the two previous FAFSA forms experienced delays.
- The newly launched FAFSA also features a streamlined process for inviting contributors to the form.
The new FAFSA launched on Sept. 24, the earliest the form has ever been released.
Federal Student Aid (FSA) launched the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before the Oct. 1 deadline it had set, marking its first on-time launch in three years. The form allows millions of college students to access federal, state, and institutional financial aid each year.
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Students don’t have to file a FAFSA as soon as it launches, but many advocates have campaigned for a launch by October to give students as much time as possible to complete their application. The past two FAFSA launches, however, were hampered by delays.
A BestColleges survey of undergraduate and graduate students found that 1 in 4 (25%) say issues with the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout affected their ability to stay enrolled in their current programs.
Here’s what we know about the FAFSA rollout for students who plan to attend college during the 2026-27 academic year.
September 2025 — FSA Launches the FAFSA
The Sept. 24 launch of the FAFSA comes less than two weeks after FSA announced that an open beta was available for all users. That open beta marked the start of the second phase in a two-part beta testing plan.
Students and contributors who submitted a form during the September beta do not need to resubmit the form now that the FAFSA has officially launched.
FSA said the beta allows the agency to test the form before making it available to all current and prospective college students. It also allows the agency to test whether its tech systems are ready for the full FAFSA launch.
August 2025 — FAFSA Set for On-Time Launch
Education Secretary Linda McMahon alerted Congress on Aug. 27 that the 2026-27 FAFSA will be available by the set Oct. 1 deadline.
The Trump administration made a beta version of the FAFSA available on Aug. 3. According to McMahon’s letter to lawmakers, more than 1,000 students submitted a form during the first four weeks of the beta testing phase, with thousands more set to complete the form by October.
“The FAFSA form is working thanks to the investments and focus that the Trump administration has placed on technical competence and expertise,” McMahon wrote.
Until October, current and prospective college students can request access to the beta FAFSA form.
July 2025 — Big Beautiful Bill Requires Fast FAFSA Changes
Following the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, FSA requested an “emergency” processing and approval of revisions to the 2026-27 FAFSA.
The department posted the request in the Federal Register on July 29, asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the request no later than Aug. 3, 2025. FSA said the notice is necessary to “incorporate updates which align with” the reconciliation bill.
The One Big Beautiful Bill made changes to what is considered an “asset” under the financial aid formula, which may be part of why FSA needs to tweak data collected through the form.
The department said that without emergency review, beta testing and the release of the 2026-27 FAFSA may be delayed past the scheduled Oct. 1 launch date.
June 2025 — Rollout Plan Revealed
FSA unveiled its rollout plan for the 2026-27 FAFSA on June 23.
The rollout includes three phases:
- Beta 1: Aug. 4, 2025
- Beta 2: Late August / Early September 2025
- Full launch: Oct. 1, 2025
The first beta will include a “limited group” of school districts that will be able to access the form through in-person or virtual events. The second beta phase will be broader, and individual students and parents will be able to request participation in this phase, according to FSA.
FSA added that the 2026-27 FAFSA will include two significant updates.
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First, all users who create a StudentAid.org account with a Social Security number will have their accounts verified immediately rather than over the course of multiple days. Second, the form will include a simplified process for students to invite contributors.
December 2024 — Congress Passes FAFSA Deadline Act
After back-to-back bungled FAFSA launches, lawmakers sought to avoid further delays in launching the financial aid application.
On Dec. 11, former President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan FAFSA Deadline Act into law. This act required the Department of Education to launch the FAFSA form by Oct. 1 each year.
Previously, the department had until Jan. 1 to release the form.
Most administrations had sought to make the form available by Oct. 1, even before the FAFSA Deadline Act. Issues related to the release of the Simplified FAFSA had caused delays, however, including a phased rollout through 2024 that lasted until November.