MorraLee Keller, of the nonprofit college access organization National College Attainment Network (NCAN), says this year’s form looks almost identical to last year’s, but the user experience is much improved.
“Of course we have to spread the good message that a lot of work has been done in this program in 2025-26 to make it something completely different than last year. So everyone must give the program a chance.”
What the Department of Education does differently this time
Completing the FAFSA is the only way college students can access financial aid from the federal government and be considered for grants, loans and other scholarships. Every year, more than 17 million students fill out this application.
Normally, this form is available to all students on October 1. But this year, that’s when the department started evaluating the forms with a limited number of students and institutions. FAFSA Senior Advisor Jeremy Singer said in an August press release that the testing period was intended to “uncover and correct problems with the FAFSA form before the form becomes available to millions of students and their families.”
During the last FAFSA cycle, in addition to form errors, students also struggled to reach the FAFSA call center for help. According to the GAO, “nearly three-quarters of all calls to the call center” went unanswered in the first five months of the release. In this regard, the Ministry of Education has increased the staffing of the call centers – by almost 80% since January – and plans to extend the hours of operation of the center.
“So far, the call center is doing very well,” US Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal told NPR. “With the volume we’re at now, people are getting calls very quickly.”
He cautions that there may be times when high call volumes lead to wait times, but he’s confident it will be a smooth experience overall.
Beth Maglione, CEO and interim president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), says she has been closely monitoring the department’s assessment program, and is pleased with what she has seen.
“State leaders are listening and taking to heart the lessons learned from last year’s problematic rollout and using those lessons to plan a sustainable path forward.”
So far, the process is a bit painful
Low-income students and students whose parent or spouse does not have a Social Security number (SSN) — what the GAO refers to as “mixed-status families” — have suffered the most from the problematic early release of the FAFSA. Another challenge for mixed-status families was a bug that prevented anyone without an SSN from filling out the form.
Kvaal says, throughout the beta testing period, “We made a few changes to make the process easier for parents and spouses who don’t have Social Security numbers. Those people can get through now, and that wasn’t always possible six or eight months ago.”
At Cal State LA, where Christina Martinez works, the majority of students are low-income, and many come from mixed-income families. He says that most of his students encountered problems with the form last year, but this year is a different story.
Martinez says the form has informative language that helps students avoid mistakes. On average, he says it takes students about 20 minutes to complete the form, although the FAFSA website suggests allocating about an hour. (The website also includes checklist how to prepare the application.)
Keller, of NCAN, says that while he is happy with the progress, he is waiting to see how the new FAFSA system will respond to the increase in applications now that the form is officially out of beta testing and open to all families.
Keller has one piece of advice for students and families, which Martinez and Maglione echo: Fill out your FAFSA as soon as possible.
“Let’s wait. Join in. Do your FAFSA as soon as possible,” says Keller. “We’re hoping that students being able to start their FAFSA in mid-November will lead to things like earlier award letters, more time to make decisions, better decisions.”
