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The U.S. Department of Education announced yesterday in a that the 2025-26聽Free Application for Federal聽Student Aid聽(FAFSA) will open for a limited set of students and institutions on Oct. 1, and then the department will make the application available to all students on or before Dec. 1.

The department continues to try and ensure students have access to the maximum federal financial aid possible to reach their education goals, according to the release, and leaders are promising both a better product and smoother process.

The 鈥淏etter FAFSA鈥� launched earlier this year amid multiple glitches and delays, causing enormous stress for students and families who need help paying for college.

In North Carolina, help for the 2024-25 school year is still available for incoming freshmen, current college students, and adult learners via phone call, email, or in-person. We need you to spread the word as time is running out for college-bound students to complete the FAFSA, with the Aug. 15 priority date looming for those who may qualify for the state鈥檚 .

What we know about the 2025-26 FAFSA

According to the , on Oct. 1, the department will invite volunteers to participate in the testing period, and over time will make the form available to an increasing number of participants, starting with hundreds and expanding to tens of thousands of applicants. This process will allow the department to test and resolve issues before making the form available to all students and contributors by Dec. 1.

In the coming weeks, the department will release more information about how this testing period will work.

鈥淔ollowing a challenging 2024-25 FAFSA cycle, the Department listened carefully to the input of students, families, and higher education institutions, made substantial changes to leadership and operations at Federal Student Aid, and is taking a new approach this year that will significantly improve the FAFSA experience,鈥� said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. 鈥淭hanks to the partnership of our stakeholders, we鈥檝e developed a better implementation process for 2025-26. I look forward to continuing to work with our partners to ensure this school year鈥檚 FAFSA implementation better serves our nation鈥檚 students.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e heard from students, families, higher education professionals and other stakeholders loud and clear: They want a better, simpler FAFSA process, and they want to know when they can reliably expect it,鈥� said FAFSA Executive Advisor Jeremy Singer. 鈥淚n close collaboration with partners, Federal Student Aid is confident we will deliver not only a better product, but also a smoother process than last year. One that makes higher education more accessible and within reach for more Americans.鈥�

The department hopes that regular updates during the testing period will boost confidence among students and families, institutions, state agencies, and other partners and stakeholders.

A new, formal request for feedback will be released next week by the department, and it intends to publish a new roadmap with additional tools for students and families, counselors, institutions, and other partners planning for a successful 2025-26 FAFSA season.

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This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

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