FAFSA® Updates

Find the latest Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) news and documents.

FAFSA Updates

Wondering what's planned for the upcoming FAFSA® season? Or when that resource will be ready so you can use it with your students? You've come to the right place.

FAFSA®News and Enhancements
Changes on the 2025–26 FAFSA® Form
Availability of FAFSA® Materials and Websites
2025–26 FAFSA® Materials and Websites
2024–25 FAFSA® Materials and Websites


FAFSA® News and Enhancements

In the following sections of this page, you'll find the latest scoop on enhancements to the current FAFSA forms or plans for next year's FAFSA form.


Note: We'd like to request that you encourage students and parents to create a StudentAid.gov account as soon as possible before starting their FAFSA form. Send students and parents to StudentAid.gov/fsa-id/create-account to create an account username and password (FSA ID). Meanwhile, we've developed several resources to help you get the word out about the FSA ID.



Changes on the 2025–26 FAFSA® Form

The 2025–26 FAFSA changes includes the following:

  • The Who's My FAFSA Parent? wizard is an online tool to help dependent students identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on their FAFSA form.
  • The label for the homelessness question changed from "Student Other Circumstances" to "Student Homelessness."
  • If the student selects "Yes" to have their school determine their eligibility for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan only, and then selects "Continue." a pop-up window appears warning the student that they will not be eligible for most federal student aid.
  • A new page confirms if their information was successfully matched with IRS records to request federal tax information to help complete the financial sections.

Tell your students: the first F in "FAFSA" stands for "free!" There are websites at which students can get help filing the FAFSA® form for a fee. These sites are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). We urge you to advise your students not to pay these sites for assistance that is provided for free at ED's website.


Availability of FAFSA® Materials and Websites

FAFSA documents and websites become available throughout the application cycle. Keep up with anticipated availability here.


2025–26 FAFSA® Materials and Websites

FAFSA® Document or Website Availability Estimate
fafsa.gov Available now
FAFSA PDF (English) Available now
FAFSA PDF (Spanish) Available now
FAFSA Submission Summary sample (English) Available now
FAFSA Submission Summary sample (Spanish) Available now
2025–26 FAFSA Prototype Available now
2025–26 FAFSA® Preview Presentation Available now
2025–26 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide Available now
Volume 1 of the FAFSA Specification Guide (FAFSA summary of changes) Available now
School Code (English and Spanish) Available now


2024–25 FAFSA® Materials and Websites

FAFSA® Document or Website Availability Estimate
fafsa.gov Available now
FAFSA PDF (English) Available now
FAFSA PDF (Spanish) Available now
FAFSA Submission Summary sample (English) Available now
FAFSA Submission Summary sample (Spanish) Available now
2024–25 FAFSA® Preview Presentation Available now
2024–25 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Pell Grant Eligibility Guide Available now
Volume 1 of FAFSA Specification Guide (FAFSA summary of changes) Available now
School Code (English and Spanish) Available now

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