WASHINGTON — The form to apply for federal financial student aid must be released by Oct. 1 of each year following President Joe Biden signed a bill Wednesday, ensuring an earlier processing cycle.
Although the Free application for state student aidor FAFSA, which is typically introduced each October, the U.S. Department of Education legally had until January 1 to make the form available.
The new law came as the department came under pressure botched rollout of Form 2024-25 when users faced a number of glitches and errors. The form was only officially introduced in January.
To add fuel to the fire, the agency announced earlier this year that it would take a phased approach to Form 2025-26 to address any issues that may arise before opening applications to all – and again made the form available later than usual Disposal.
After Test phases After starting on October 1, the department fully introduced Form 2025-26 in overdue November – ten days before the official launch on December 1.
A spokesperson for the department said it is “committed to enforcing all laws duly passed by Congress” when asked whether Biden had signed the FAFSA.
Meanwhile, the department said Thursday that it has received over 1.5 million FAFSA applications for 2025-26 and submitted more than 7 million student records to states and schools.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education James Kvaal said that despite these developments, the department’s work is “not yet done.”
“We will continue to fix bugs and improve the user experience to make it easier for students and families to get the financial aid they need,” Kvaal said Thursday in a call with reporters regarding updates to Form 2025-26.
The FAFSA deadline bill moved quickly through Congress
The bill received broad bipartisan support and quickly passed both the House and Senate in November. Republican Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana, a member of the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee, introduced the bill in July.
Senator Bill Cassidy, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, introduced the Senate version of the bill. The Louisiana Republican is poised to take over as chairman of the panel next year.
Rep. Bobby Scott, ranking member of the House Education Panel, celebrated the bill’s passage Wednesday.
“As college costs continue to rise, federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, is critical to making higher education more affordable and accessible,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
Scott said that by standardizing the deadline, the measure “gives students and families more time to complete their applications and secure the financial aid they need to attend college without unnecessary delays.”
Application 2024-25 was revised after Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in overdue 2020, but encountered several issues that resulted in delays in processing and gaps in filings.
Department staff have been working to correct these errors and close the gap in filings from the previous processing cycle, and officials said they have been considering how improvements could be made for Form 2025-26 and beyond.
Last updated on December 12, 2024 at 3:29 p.m
