What to know ahead of the next FAFSA rollout

If you are hoping to secure federal financial aid — through student loans, scholarships, grants or work-study funds — to help cover the cost of undergrad or grad school, you probably know that filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is essential. But after the fiasco surrounding last year's rollout of a supposedly revamped FAFSA, students and parents alike may (understandably) be worried about how this year will go.

In early October, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona "assured college leaders in a letter that the department had 'all hands on deck' to meet its new timeline this year, saying the government is working to release the 2025-26 form following software-industry best practices," said Money. Already, however, the FAFSA application process is not running the way it did before last year's big shakeup. Here is what to know.

When does the 2025-2026 FAFSA come out?

A major difference in this year's FAFSA form is when it rolls out. The start of October "typically signifies the beginning of the college financial aid application process," said Money, but this year, the FAFSA "will instead formally launch by Dec. 1."

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Usually access to the form opens to everyone at once, but this year will implement a "phased rollout," which is intended to "allow the U.S. Education Department to run a testing period before it opens the form to the wider public," said Money.

As such, "some families will be invited to fill out the form beginning on Oct. 1, 2024, as part of a testing group to ensure the electronic form and accompanying processes are fully functional by Dec. 1," said CNBC Make It.

What changes are being made after last year's FAFSA issues?

Last year, "everyone who submitted a FAFSA for the 2024-2025 school year faced delays because the department was late in sending colleges student data needed to create aid packages," and some students therefore "started the semester without a final accounting of how much financial help they would receive," said The Washington Post. This year, the department is "trying to turn that disaster around."

As mentioned, the 2025-2026 FAFSA is rolling out in phases, so the Department of Education can troubleshoot along the way. "We're testing a complete FAFSA system. That means that students will begin submitting FAFSA forms with hands-on advice and support of experts," Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said to the Post. "The department will process those FAFSA, give students an opportunity to make corrections if needed and send the records to colleges and state agencies."

Additionally, the Education Department has made a number of improvements for this year, including better "online resources to help students and parents while they’re filling out the form and 700 new call center agents to handle call volume," said Money. It also plans to "provide more transparency and clearer communication this year."

Perhaps most importantly, "once the form opens to all on Dec. 1 and applications are complete, ED says families' information should start being sent to colleges immediately," said CNBC Make It.

How can you prepare for the FAFSA application process?

Unless you are part of the beta testing launch, there is not much you can do before the FAFSA becomes widely available at the start of December. That said, there are a couple things you can keep in mind ahead of this year's application process:

Sign up for a FAFSA ID. You don't have to wait until the FAFSA rolls out to get a FAFSA ID, which is an "electronic signature used to sign the FAFSA online," said Saving for College. It is smart to do this sooner than later, as "students and parents have reported problems with getting or using an FSA ID."

Take note of schools' deadlines. "Colleges set their own deadlines for financial aid applications, and students should pay close attention to those as the season approaches," said CNBC Make It. Also note that "your college may require its own financial aid application," as after last year's botched FAFSA rollout, "some schools went ahead and created their own institutional applications." Make sure you are familiar with what the schools you are applying to require, and by when.