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2025–26 FAFSA Form Coming Soon
The 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form will be available to the public on or before Dec. 1, 2024.
2025–26 FAFSA® Beta Testing
Before making the 2025–26 FAFSA form available to all students, we're conducting multiple beta tests to identify and resolve system errors that could derail the FAFSA process for students, contributors, and institutions of higher education.
Starting Oct. 1, we'll make the 2025–26 form available to limited groups of students and institutions that have been selected to participate in the beta release. Participation in the beta release is by invitation only.
Over time, we'll make the form available to an increasing number of participants and apply their feedback to improve the user experience and develop resources for counselors and college access professionals.
Tips for Students Preparing To Fill Out the FAFSA® Form
Students should do the following to prepare for filling out the FAFSA form:
- Create a StudentAid.gov account (if they don't already have one).
- Have their documents ready (e.g., 2023 tax returns; records of child support received; current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts; and net worth of investments, businesses, and farms).
- Use the Who's My FAFSA Parent? wizard to identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on their FAFSA form.
- Have their contributor information ready (e.g., first and last name, Social Security number [if they have one], date of birth, email address, and mailing address [if they don't have a Social Security number]).
Resources for Reference and Outreach
The resources below will be particularly useful as you prepare to help students with the FAFSA form. You can also browse our full selection of 2025–26 FAFSA resources.
- 2025–26 FAFSA® Prototype—Use the prototype to gain a deeper understanding of the 2025–26 FAFSA form user experience ahead of its release.
- 2025–26 FAFSA®Form Preview Presentation —Presentation providing screenshots of the online FAFSA form, which you can use as you create your own presentations for students and families.
- "FAFSA® Updates"—Financial Aid Toolkit page providing counselors and college access mentors with the latest forms and information associated with the FAFSA process.
- StudentAid.gov/fafsasupport—Announcement informing students and parents about 2025–26 FAFSA availability and resources. Send your students to this StudentAid.gov page, not to this Financial Aid Toolkit site.
- Am I a contributor on my child's FAFSA® form? infographic—Image to help parents determine whether they'll be required to contribute information on their child's FAFSA form.
Stay Informed
Follow Federal Student Aid on social media to receive up-to-date notifications and information.
- X (formerly Twitter)
- YouTube (informational videos)
- YouTube (educational webinars)
November 04, 2024