FSA has released two new resources to help financial aid administrators, counselors, and mentors prepare for the 2027–28 FAFSA®: the 2027–28 FAFSA Preview Presentation and the interactive 2027–28 FAFSA Prototype.
Both resources provide an early look at the upcoming FAFSA before the 2027–28 form becomes available on FAFSA.gov by October 1, 2026.
2027–28 FAFSA Preview Presentation
The new FAFSA Preview Presentation provides an overview and screenshots of the online 2027–28 FAFSA and highlights differences from the 2026–27 form. Institutions can use and modify the presentation for staff training, FAFSA completion events, and updates to their own resources and materials.
The presentation walks users through several common scenarios, including:
- Creating a StudentAid.gov account
- Completing and submitting a FAFSA form as:
- A dependent student who is required to invite a parent
- A dependent student whose parent declines to add their information
- A dependent student who has experienced homelessness
- A dependent student with unusual circumstances
- An independent student who is required to invite their spouse
- An independent student who is single and didn’t file taxes
- A student who has to complete identity verification
- A student editing a submitted FAFSA form to:
- Add a school
- Replace an invited contributor
- Update their initial answer to the homeless determination question
- A student looking for their required contributor’s invitation code
Explore the FAFSA Prototype
For those who want a more hands on look at the upcoming form, FSA has also released the 2027–28 FAFSA Prototype. The interactive tool allows users to navigate through most pages of the online FAFSA and explore different scenarios from the perspective of a student, parent, or spouse contributor.
Users can practice starting, signing, and submitting a FAFSA, completing an application already in progress, and making certain corrections to a submitted application.
To access the prototype:
- Visit fsapartners.ed.gov/fafsa-prototype/2728
- Enter the access code: prototype2728
- Read the information about using the 2027–28 FAFSA prototype. Select “View FAFSA Preview.”
- Select any of the available user scenarios for a student, parent, or spouse contributor from the 2027–28 FAFSA prototype landing page.
- Select responses to advance through pages of the form. The prototype will tell you if you must select specific responses to move forward. It will also tell you if certain responses or links are unavailable.
Important Prototype Limitations
The prototype is intended as a preview and training resource, not a complete FAFSA demonstration environment. It does not store information, interact with IRS or email systems, calculate a Student Aid Index, validate data, or fully replicate all of the functionality of the final FAFSA.
FSA plans to periodically update the prototype as changes are made to the 2027–28 FAFSA.
Financial aid offices may want to begin reviewing both resources now to familiarize staff with the upcoming FAFSA and identify any institutional training materials, presentations, or student communications that may need to be updated before the 2027–28 application cycle begins.
Get Ready for the 2027–28 FAFSA Cycle
The 2027–28 FAFSA cycle is upon us! Join College Aid Services for our upcoming webinar as we review what has changed and what has stayed the same in the 2027–28 application.
Our presenters will help familiarize attendees with the 2027–28 FAFSA, discuss common application errors, and provide helpful insights to support institutions as they prepare for the upcoming cycle.
Register for our 2027–28 FAFSA webinar and get your team ready for the year ahead.