The Education Department stated that the college admissions process for the upcoming year is already behind. However, advocates for the schools and students agree that a small delay is acceptable if it prevents a more serious issue.
According to an announcement made by the Department of Education on Wednesday, students seeking financial aid for college won’t be able to access the full version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming year until early December.
A new version of the FAFSA, which millions of students and families use annually, will be released for the 2025-2026 academic year. While the FAFSA usually opens on October 1, a congressionally mandated reform of the financial aid system caused a number of issues that caused officials to go behind schedule for the second year in a row.
According to officials, the FAFSA will be available for a limited set of students and institutions” starting on October 1. They stated that they wanted to test it for error before gradually rolling it out to all students on December 1. The Education Department did not immediately indicate this, but the group of students who will be able to complete the form in early October will be diverse. More information will be available in the upcoming weeks.
The education secretary, Miguel Cardona, stated earlier this year that the organization had initially intended to fulfill the customary October 1 deadline for individuals requesting aid for the 2025-2026 school year. He admitted that this year’s rollout negatively impacted some students and stated that delaying the timeframe will help improve for next year.
He stated, “Following a challenging 2024-25 FAFSA cycle, the Department listened carefully to the input of students, families, and higher education institutions, made substantial changes to leadership and operations at Federal Student Aid, and is taking a new approach this year that will significantly improve the FAFSA experience.”
Democrats and advocacy organizations pushed the Education Department to prioritize accuracy over speed for the upcoming form in recent weeks, which is why the postponement occurred. In an interview, Bill DeBaun, the National College Attainment Network’s data tracker, stated that pushing the release of a new application before it’s ready will only harm students.
He said, “The most important thing here is to make sure that the FAFSA is functional” and that students get the aid they need.
Republicans in Congress criticized Wednesday’s move to postpone the complete rollout until December 1. The Republican senator from Louisiana, Bill Cassidy, who is on a committee that sets education policy, called it “completely unacceptable.”
Students who require financial aid for the 2024-2025 year can submit the final FAFSA application, which will remain open until June 2025.
