蜜桃影视

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) officially released the 2025鈥�26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on Nov. 21, 10 days before its Dec. 1 goal and three days after opening the form to all students and families as part of .

The online FAFSA form is available to all students and families at , and the paper form is also now available for students to submit.

鈥淚鈥檓 pleased to announce that after four successful rounds of beta testing, the 2025鈥�26 FAFSA form is now available to all students and families,鈥�  U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. 鈥淎fter months of hard work and lots of feedback from students, schools, and other stakeholders, we can say with confidence that FAFSA is working and will serve as the gateway to college access and affordability to millions of students.鈥�

The beta testing for the 2025-26 FAFSA followed the rocky launch of the 鈥淏etter FAFSA鈥� , which saw multiple glitches and delays and caused stress for students and families seeking help paying for college.

While many students experienced delays, students from mixed-status families, or those whose parents don鈥檛 have a social security number, were . DOE officials previously told members of the press that 鈥渕any鈥� mixed-status students successfully submitted their applications during Beta 1, which started Oct. 1.

Beta 2 testing started on Oct. 15, and Beta 3 started in early November. The final stage of testing, Beta 4, started on Nov. 13, expanding the testing to thousands of additional students recruited by various community and education organizations. On Nov. 18, the DOE entered its final stage of beta testing, “Expanded Beta 4,” which allowed all students to submit forms.

According to , more than 167,000 students successfully submitted their 2025-26 FAFSA during the beta testing period. The Department has sent records to more than 5,200 schools across the U.S., the release said.

“Already, over 650,000 more applicants are eligible for Pell Grants, and more students are receiving Pell Grants, this school year compared to last year,” Cardona said. “We stand ready to help millions more students complete the FAFSA and get the financial aid they need to pursue their dreams of a college education.鈥�

The College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) is encouraging students and families to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible.

“Last year the FAFSA was revamped into a new form that delayed the process, and some families experienced issues submitting it,” CFNC said in a press release. “But so far this year the application process has been running smoothly, with no critical errors reported so far, so there is no need to wait to get started.”

The 2025鈥�26 FAFSA form is available now for the award year that runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Here’s what you need to know about the FAFSA and how to apply.

How to apply

First, you鈥檒l need to .

Your contributors will also need to create their own accounts. Your contributors are anyone required to provide information on your FAFSA form, such as your parents or your spouse.

If you are a student, you will be required to enter your Social Security number (SSN) to create a StudentAid.gov account unless you鈥檙e a citizen of the  (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).

If your contributors do not have a SSN, they can still create an account to complete their section of your FAFSA form. However, if your contributors do have a SSN, you are required to provide the number when inviting them to contribute to your FAFSA form.

Next, gather the documents needed to apply. The FAFSA asks for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and your financial situation. Here are some examples of the information you might need:

• Your parents鈥� SSNs if they have SSNs and you’re a 
• Tax returns
• Records of child support received
• Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
• Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms

The financial data determines a family鈥檚 expected out-of-pocket college payments. If those returns don鈥檛 reflect your current financial situation, you can file an appeal for a  with the school you plan to attend.

File your FAFSA form online at , by completing a  and mailing it, or by requesting a print-out of the FAFSA PDF at 1-800-433-3243 and mailing it. Check out this resource for information on .

If you need help filling out the FAFSA, you can speak with someone at the DOE’s contact center at 1-800-433-3243 or by live chat . The Department is also offering expanded FAFSA-only hours at the center Nov. 22 through March 2.

Students and families can reach agents at the contact center in English or in Spanish. Interpretation services in additional languages can be accessed .

Why the FAFSA matters

According to the CFNC, completing the FAFSA is “an important step toward paying for college.”

Completing a FAFSA makes you eligible for federal aid, , and previous Covid-19 relief. Many North Carolina colleges and universities also use the form to divvy up state aid.

Affordability is one of the main barriers to postsecondary attainment. The FAFSA helps many students access money for college they otherwise couldn鈥檛. In North Carolina, , as of Sept. 27, 2024.

However, barriers to filling out the form exist for many students. , and first-generation prospective college students and their families also face barriers.

A lack of reliable internet access and language barriers can also be a challenge. Community colleges across the state have hosted FAFSA events to help provide in-person assistance filling out the forms.

鈥淲e are very fortunate to have our community colleges be an advocate for that,” Amy Denton, a regional representative at CFNC,

This year, CFNC is encouraging students and families to apply for the 2025-26 FAFSA early.

One reason is to maximize your financial aid opportunities. According to a CFNC release, some funding is allocated first-come, first-served, and some scholarships have early deadlines.

“So get all the aid you qualify for by submitting your FAFSA early,” the release says.

Applying early also means you will receive your financial aid package award letters sooner.

“Knowing how much federal, state and college-based aid you鈥檙e awarded can help you decide which options fit your budget,” CFNC said.

In North Carolina, applying for the FAFSA also automatically enrolls you for the . That scholarship covers tuition and fees at any North Carolina community college for students from families making $80,000 a year or less. If interested in a university, students can get a minimum of $5,000 towards tuition and fees at any of the 16 UNC system schools.

What to do if you don’t or can’t complete it

Most individual colleges have their own scholarship and aid dashboards.

While many need-based funds require a FAFSA, some allow other documentation of your financial situation. Many scholarships don鈥檛 require any financial documentation.

If you鈥檙e not a U.S. citizen, you might not . In this case, you can use your Alien Registration number to apply. Non-citizen students can also seek aid at individual colleges with funds that don鈥檛 require the FAFSA, like these resources at  and .

You can learn more about other FAFSA barriers .

More resources

The Department recently released several new resources to assist students and families in completing and submitting the FAFSA form during the 2025鈥�26 cycle:

• : A new resource that explains what families and partners need to know about creating a StudentAid.gov account.
• : Updated tips for preparing to fill out and submitting the FAFSA form. This resource is also linked to the StudentAid.gov Dashboard to promote easier access for students and their required contributor(s).
• : Provides an estimate of the 2025鈥�26 Student Aid Index (SAI) and Federal Pell Grant eligibility calculation.
• : A new, stand-alone tool to help students and families determine who will need to provide contributor information on the 2025鈥�26 FAFSA form prior to starting the application.
• : Updated videos to help students and families understand the importance of the FAFSA form, who is a FAFSA contributor, and what happens after submitting the form.

Here are other resources:

• : Updated resources for school counselors, college access professionals, and mentors with information about the FAFSA process.
• : A list of known issues with the form updated in real-time as bugs are fixed in beta testing.
• FAFSA videos: Updated videos to help students and families understand the importance of the FAFSA, who is a FAFSA contributor, and what happens after submitting the form:

If you are a student reapplying for the FAFSA, your college’s counseling office is also a great resource.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 蜜桃影视鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.