The U.S. Department of Education has published the official 2025-2026 award year deadline dates for student aid submissions and institutional reporting requirements under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. These deadlines affect students, financial aid offices, and institutions participating in federal aid programs such as FAFSA®, Pell Grants, Direct Loans, FSEOG, Federal Work-Study (FWS), and TEACH Grants.
To view this Federal Register publication, click here.
Below is a quick summary of key deadlines.
Student Submission & Corrections Deadlines
These dates are critical for students applying for federal aid or submitting corrections to their FAFSA data:
- FAFSA Form Submission (electronic or paper): June 30, 2026 – Last day for FAFSA submission to be processed for the 2025-2026 award year.
- FAFSA Corrections or Updates: September 12, 2026 – Deadline for corrections, address changes, duplicate summaries, and institution updates.
- Institution Receipt of FAFSA Data (ISIR/Submission Summary): By student’s last date of enrollment or September 19, 2026 (whichever is earlier) – Institutions must receive valid records for aid eligibility.
Verification Document Deadlines
For students selected for verification:
- Verification Documents to Institution: 120 days after the student’s last date of enrollment or September 19, 2026 (whichever is earlier) – For most students selected for verification.
- Identity Verification Results (Tracking Group V4/V5): 60 days after the institution’s first request or when the FAFSA Partner Portal identity-verification function is available for AY 2025-26. (whichever is later).
Institutional Reporting Deadlines – Disbursements & Records
Deadlines for institutions to submit disbursement and origination records for federal aid programs:
- Earliest Disbursement Dates:
- Pell Grants: January 31, 2025
- Direct Loans: October 1, 2024
- TEACH Grants: January 1, 2025
- Earliest Date for Submitting Anticipated/Actual Disbursement Info: March 23, 2025
- Deadline for Disbursement Submissions: November 30, 2025 or 15 calendar days after disbursement (whichever is later)
- Final Submission Deadlines:
- Pell Grant & TEACH Grant records: September 30, 2026
- Direct Loan records: July 30, 2027