The Department of Education has officially launched the 2025-26 FAFSA application nearly two weeks ahead of the original December 1st deadline. After months of beta testing, the form is available to all students and families via the dedicated FAFSA portal at studentaid.gov. Here is a breakdown of the most important details you need to know:
FAFSA Form Processing and Accessibility
- The Department is already processing submissions and sending ISIRs to institutions
- Paper FAFSAs will be processed starting in early December
- Confined or incarcerated individuals must complete the FAFSA form to determine their eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant. They can mail the FAFSA PDF designated for incarcerated students to Federal Student Aid or complete the online application
- The FAFSA for confined or incarcerated individuals is identical to the online version but includes a separate mailing address to send the application for submission.
FAFSA Submission Summaries
- Students will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary to review their answers to each question and see what their estimated federal aid eligibility will be
- Mock-ups of the submission summaries are available as a resource to train staff or for financial aid presentations
- English and Spanish mock ups of the 2025-26 FAFSA Submission Summary are now available in PDF
Staffing and Operational Support
- To prepare for the FAFSA release, the Department has increased the number of contact staff by more than 700 agents; an 80% increase since January 2024
- 225 more agents will be added over the next month to support FAFSA processing and expand operation hours.
- In coordination with vendors, all agents will be trained on the FAFSA to ensure that FSA has additional support
- It will create hold time announcements to inform callers of current wait times
- From November 22nd to March 2nd, FAFSA form-only hours will be available at the contact center, including evenings and weekends
Additional Resources
- 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, Paper Form
- 2025–26 FAFSA® Form for Confined or Incarcerated Individuals (English) in PDF Format, 22 Pages
- 2025–26 FAFSA® Form for Confined or Incarcerated Individuals (Spanish) in PDF Format, 22 Pages
- 2025–26 FAFSA Submission Summary Mock-Up (English) in PDF Format, 18 Pages, 755KB
- 2025–26 FAFSA Submission Summary Mock-Up (Spanish) in PDF Format, 18 Pages, 891KB
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