FAFSA Form 2025-2026: What you need to know

Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps

The Department of Education has announced important details about the 2025-2026 FAFSA.

The good news: The new FAFSA form remains unchanged from the major overhaul last year.

The bad news: it won't be generally available until December.

With that in mind, here's what you should do now to prepare, why you should take an estimated SAI now, and what you can do to be ready to file the FAFSA when it's available.

How we got here

On June 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education (“ED”) announced that it was working toward an October 1 release date for the 2025–26 FAFSA cycle and that “to ensure a smooth user experience… the form will remain consistent” with the previous year's form.

On August 7, 2024, ED announced that the new form will be rolled out in a two-stage process. On October 1, the form will be available to a limited test group of students and colleges. By December 1, ED plans to make the application available to all students.

We should also look forward to more information on the test group. ED promises details on how the test group will work, including how applicants will sign up for inclusion in the test group, which will initially start with “hundreds and then increase to tens of thousands of applicants.”

ED's 2025-26 FAFSA updates are mostly behind-the-scenes adjustments to technical elements in the charts, such as the Income Protection Exemption values ​​that go into the formulas used to determine the SAI. The inputs required from students and contributors are unchanged from last year.

How to prepare now to submit the FAFSA application form later

Even though the FAFSA program won't be launched until later this year, it's important that you start preparing now. Here's how you can prepare:

• Use the free Student Aid Index Estimator. Estimating the student's SAI early on helps compile a college list of the most likely affordable colleges. Unlike other SAI tools that offer users only one number, My College Corner's SAI Estimator offers users a comprehensive experience: help screens, explanations of what SAI means, FAQs, and a downloadable report. NOTE: A student's “official” Student Aid Index used to award financial aid can only come from the U.S. Department of Education, which sends it to colleges after receiving and processing the student's completed FAFSA application.
• Identify the contributors (usually parents or guardians) who provide financial information. The FAFSA requires income and asset information from the student and parents. If parents are separated or divorced, the parent who provided the most financial support to the child in the previous year must provide the previous year's tax information..
• Make sure your 2023 tax forms have been filed and are accurate for the student and contributors who must provide tax information.
  
• Collect asset information. Student and contributor income information comes from 2023 tax returns, but asset information comes from current returns. Take some time to determine what assets need to be reported and how to determine the value of the asset, especially the value of small businesses and farms.
  
• Go to Studentaid.gov and Create an FSA ID for the student and the participants. This ID is used by the student and contributor for different purposes. The FSA ID is similar to a social security number in that it does not change once assigned. If you already have an FSA ID (perhaps for another student), you are good to go. Use that FSA ID for this year's FAFSA process. If you or your student does not have one, create one now. There is no point in waiting. Both the student and contributor need their own FSA IDs.
  
• Find out about college and state FAFSA filing deadlines. States and colleges have different deadlines for submitting the FAFSA form. Check your state's FAFSA filing deadline and the filing deadline for each college your student plans to send an application to. These deadlines are often inflexible, so get this done as soon as possible. Check to see if additional applications may be required as well.
  
• Look for scholarships to reduce college costs. Free money is good money and there is plenty of it. Try this free scholarship search at MyCollegeCorner.com.

Who should submit the FAFSA form for the 2025-2026 academic year?

The short answer: all students enrolled in college who wish to be considered for some form of financial aid during the eligibility year of 25-26. Even students from the wealthiest households with high incomes and a lot of assets could benefit from filing a FAFSA application. Studentaid.gov has excellent information on the many types of student aid available, including the Direct Student Loan Program, work-study programs, and scholarships.

Some federal aid programs do not require students to come from low-income households. For example, all students are eligible for a Direct Student Loan regardless of their family's financial situation or SAI. To receive a Direct Student Loan, students must submit the FAFSA form. No FAFSA – no loan.

The last word

The process of planning and financing college is stressful enough for families without the added pressure of a late FAFSA form, but that doesn't mean you have to wait paralyzed for the form to become available.

You can start preparing for the time when the FAFSA form is available today by getting an estimated SAI, applying for an FSA ID, and following the other preparation tips. Time is on your side. Use it wisely.

Create your very own Auto Publish News/Blog Site and Earn Passive Income in Just 4 Easy Steps