Senate Unanimously Passes FAFSA Deadline Act Administration Announces Official Release of 2025-26 FASFA Form
Overview
In the earlier hours of this morning, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Senate companion bill to H.R. 8932 – The FAFSA Deadline Bill – which mandates that the Department of Education will publish the FASFA form by no later than October 1st. If the Department is unable to meet the mandatory deadline, they must provide notice to Congress in advance and be called to explain the reason(s) for the delay. President Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law to make it official the beginning in 2025 this deadline will be required.
At the same time the legislative branch was engaged in deliberation on the FAFSA bill, the executive branch announced that the Beta Tests implementing the 2025-2026 FAFSA form ahead of their established December 1, 2024 deadline. In the Department’s announcement, they noted that they were officially launching next year’s form “10 days in advance of the Department’s stated goal of Dec. 1.”
In contrast to the Department’s statement, House Committee on Education & the Workforce Chair Dr. Virginia Foxx (R) a press release was published entitled “Foxx: FAFSA Isn’t 10 Days Early, It’s 50 Days Late.”
Both of the announcements are provided below.
Department of Education 2025-26 FAFSA Notification
Dear colleagues,
Building on the successful results of our beta testing of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) system since October, today, the Department officially released (www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-official-release-of-2025-26-fafsa-form) the 2025–26 FAFSA form, 10 days in advance of the Department’s stated goal of Dec. 1. The online FAFSA form is available to all students and families at fafsa.gov (studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa) and the Department is processing submissions and sending them to schools. The paper form is also now available for students to submit.
The Department has taken steps to modernize and address issues in the FAFSA system and put in place features that further e8932nhance the user experience and improve functionality of the form. In addition, the Department released and updated resources and materials to help students and families as well as counselors and financial aid professionals to better navigate the FAFSA form and process. The following are especially suited for high school seniors and first-time applicants.
Key Messages for first-time applicants getting started:
* Prepare to complete the 2025–26 FAFSA® form by having your documents ready and creating a StudentAid.gov account. You and your contributor(s) will each need an account to access and fill out the online form. This should be done before entering the FAFSA form.
* If you’re a dependent student, determine which parent will need to provide information on your FAFSA form using the Parent Wizard (studentaid.gov/fafsa-apply/parents) Tool. Typically, only one parent needs to be invited to contribute to your form.
* First time filling out the FAFSA form? Learn more about each step of the process HERE (studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/filling-out) .
Helpful resources for high school seniors and first-time filers:
* Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account (studentaid.gov/accounts101) – Everything you need to know about StudentAid.gov accounts in under five minutes
* Pro Tips for the FAFSA® Form | Federal Student Aid (studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/pro-tips) Tips to help students and families successfully complete the 2025–26 FAFSA form
* Applying for Financial Aid With the FAFSA® Form – YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UupEQdS2VMY) Brief videos for first-time applicants + contributors that simply explain the FAFSA form and how to apply for federal student aid
For those who need additional assistance, the Department has made significant improvements, such as increased staffing and surge period extended hours, at the Federal Student Aid Information Center (contact center). Please review today’s press release for more details on contact center hours, and share this information widely with your community.
In the coming days and weeks, the Department will carefully monitor the 2025–26 FAFSA form, as well as the contact center, and make any needed adjustments to improve the experience for students, families, and the financial aid community. The Department will begin processing paper forms by early December. In the coming months, the Department will further enhance the user experience and release additional functionality, including batch corrections and paper corrections, to facilitate a smoother process for students, families, and institutions.
Stay tuned to StudentAid.gov, where the Department will continue to share updates about the 2025–26 FAFSA cycle. We appreciate your partnership to help students and families complete the FAFSA form to access needed financial aid to pursue their higher education goals.
House Education & the Workforce Committee Press Release
Foxx: FAFSA Isn’t 10 Days Early, It’s 50 Days Late
WASHINGTON – Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will finally be released:
“Let’s be clear about this: the FAFSA form is not 10 days early; it’s going to be more than 50 days late. As a former professor, I can tell you I would not be giving any student a passing grade if he turned in an assignment nearly two months after the due date. Nonetheless, this is an important first step, and the Education Department now needs to ensure that the processing of applications is accurate, that missing capabilities are implemented quickly, and that future applicants never have to deal with this sort of botched rollout.”
BACKGROUND:
* On November 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed (house.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=242c4a1c0560b7d513ce7962f&id=afc9595c1b&e=f6794059b8) the FAFSA Deadline Act (house.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=242c4a1c0560b7d513ce7962f&id=c95a796621&e=f6794059b8) , authored by U.S. Representative Erin Houchin (R-IN). The bill passed the Senate on November 21 by unanimous consent and now awaits President Biden’s signature.
* The legislation (house.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=242c4a1c0560b7d513ce7962f&id=889bda9f3e&e=f6794059b8) requires the Education Department to make the FAFSA form available to students each year on October 1.
* Earlier this year, Chairwoman Foxx and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, blasted (house.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=242c4a1c0560b7d513ce7962f&id=d1abc380ab&e=f6794059b8) the Biden administration for illegally obstructing the GAO investigation into the administration’s failure to implement the new FAFSA program.
* On July 11, Chairwoman Foxx, Senator Cassidy, and colleagues sent a letter (house.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=242c4a1c0560b7d513ce7962f&id=6fad14fecc&e=f6794059b8) demanding an update on the Office of Inspector General’s investigation into Biden’s botched FAFSA rollout.
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