Washington Following President Joe Biden’s signing of a bill into law Wednesday that guarantees an early processing cycle, the application form for federal financial student aid must be made available by October 1st of each year.
The U.S. Department of Education was legally had to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, available by January 1st, even though the form normally releases in October.
The new regulation was introduced when the agency was under fire for its disastrous 2024–25 form release, which left customers dealing with a number of issues and mistakes. It was not until January that the form was formally launched.
The agency’s announcement earlier this year that it would implement the 2025-26 form in stages so that it could correct any issues before reopening applications to the public, causing the form to be available later than usual, only served to fuel the flames.
The department officially unveiled the 2025-26 form in late November, ten days before its formal launch on Dec. 1, following testing phases that started on Oct. 1.
When questioned about Biden signing the FAFSA bill into law, a department official stated that the agency is dedicated to upholding all laws that have been properly established by Congress.
In the meantime, the agency reported on Thursday that it had sent more than 7 million student records to states and institutions and received more than 1.5 million 2025–2026 FAFSA entries.
James Kvaal, the U.S. Under Secretary of Education, stated that despite these advancements, the department’s work is not finished.
During a call with reporters on Thursday to discuss changes on the 2025-26 form, Kvaal stated that we will keep addressing problems and enhancing the user experience to make it simpler for students and families to obtain the financial aid they require.
Widespread bipartisan support helped the bill pass the House and Senate quickly in November. The bill was submitted in July by Indiana Republican Representative Erin Houchin, who serves on the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The Senate version of the measure was introduced by Senator measure Cassidy, ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Next year, the Republican from Louisiana is expected to serve as the panel’s chair.
The House education panel’s ranking member, Rep. Bobby Scott, praised the bill’s passage into law on Wednesday.
“Federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, is crucial to making higher education more accessible and affordable as college costs continue to rise,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement.
The bill, according to Scott, provides families and students more time to finish their applications and obtain the financial help they require to attend college without needless delays by standardizing the deadline.
After Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in late 2020, the 2024–25 application received a facelift; however, a number of problems caused processing delays and submission gaps.
In addition to working to correct these mistakes and close the submission gap from the previous processing cycle, department workers reportedly considered how to better for the 2025–2026 form and beyond.
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