The Department of Education announced Wednesday that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms (FAFSAs) will be released this year on October 1st, hitting the usual deadline after two chaotic and confusing years.
After two delays caused by the Department’s efforts to simplify FAFSA, the good news is that the schedule has now returned to normal.
In 2023, the deadline for submitting forms was completely missed. Forms were not released until 2024.
Bugs and errors plagued the system once the forms were released. Schools did not receive financial aid information on time.
The 2024-2025 FAFSA forms were released in December. However, this was a smoother release and the schools are likely to get the information needed to meet the deadlines for sending out offers.
According to the department, 94 percent are satisfied with this cycle’s submission process.
The Department’s report states, “The Department ensured that its contact center was equipped with increased capacity to launch the FAFSA 2025-26 form, and we continue to expect wait times of less than a minute on average.”
The Department of Education reported that the number of students eligible for Federal Pell Grants has increased.
This cycle, almost 14 percent more students than the previous will receive Pell Grants.
According to the Department, most institutions are receiving as many students as they did last year.
