2024–25 FAFSA Prototype Now Available

Major changes are coming to the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form. The FAFSA prototype offers you an advance opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the 2024–25 FAFSA form user experience ahead of its release.

What is the 2024–25 FAFSA^® prototype?

The FAFSA prototype is not a complete replica of the 2024–25 FAFSA form that will be available on fafsa.gov. Instead, it's a web-based design tool that allows users to navigate specific scenarios that many 2024–25 applicants will encounter on the live website.

The FAFSA prototype demonstrates the following scenarios:

• Initiating a new application as a student or parent
• Completing an in-progress application as a student, parent, or spouse
• Common corrections scenarios, including missing critical data elements or signatures, and voluntary corrections

When navigating a scenario, the prototype will advise users when particular actions must be taken and alert users that certain functionality is unavailable. The scenarios the prototype covers will not be exhaustive of all possible situations users may encounter while completing an actual 2024–25 FAFSA form.

Limitations of the 2024–25 FAFSA^® Prototype

This prototype has limited functionality and may not represent the final FAFSA experience. For example, since the prototype does not maintain a database, data cannot be stored or submitted. There are no simulated interfaces with systems internal or external to Federal Student Aid. In addition, while the prototype allows users to enter data and walk through the form, it does not include certain FAFSA functionality, such as a Student Aid Index calculation, field and page edits, or validation of data.

The prototype also includes the following limitations:

• Search and other complex interactions are for display only and are not fully functional.
• Selections with school names or cities use sample content.
• Users may experience slow load times for some pages.
• Accessibility features may not perform as expected.
• Tooltips and other help resources may not be present.
• Dropdown and search suggestions may experience performance issues.
• The prototype does not adjust to the size of the browser window or device.

The FAFSA prototype is not an early release of the FAFSA demonstration site. Instead, the prototype can be used as a tool to better understand the experience that 2024–25 applicants may have. Additionally, the 2024–25 FAFSA form itself is still in development and subject to the 30-day public comment period, so it may vary slightly from the prototype.

Accessing the 2024–25 FAFSA^® Prototype

To access the 2024–25 FAFSA prototype, follow the steps below:

1. Visit https://fsapartners.ed.gov/fafsa-prototype/2425
2. Enter the access code: prototype2425

Contact Information and Feedback

If you have questions or feedback about the 2024–25 FAFSA prototype, send an email to FSA_FAFSA_Team@ed.gov.