On Aug. 7, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced that, on Oct. 1, it will release the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) for beta testing with a limited set of students and institutions of higher education (IHEs) as part of a new process in alignment with software industry best practices. The Department will make the FAFSA form available to all students on or before Dec. 1.
