The Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will open earlier next academic school year, with a starting date of Oct. 1.
“The 2025-26 FAFSA opened around Nov. 21, 2024, after a beta testing period with some institutions in Oct. 2024,” Chad Olson, the director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, said. “It has been an easier FAFSA filing season this year for students and their families. We have not experienced the multiple issues that plagued the 2024-25 FAFSA cycle.”
The Department of Education used a phased launch to avoid the delayed launch in previous years after hearing feedback from students, families and institutions.
“The FAFSA opening earlier allows the institution to review applications for scholarships sooner; we can get financial aid offers in new students’ hands,” Olson said. “This is important as many students are waiting to compare aid offers between colleges. Financing a college education can be a huge factor in college selection.”
Financial aid and scholarships can be an impactful decision in why a student may or may not choose to go to a certain college.
“In general, last year, when many colleges weren’t getting results until the middle of March, that affected when financial aid offers were being sent out,” Erick Danielson, vice president of Central Iowa Student Success Center, said.
Danielson reflected on the previous years’ FAFSA, which had been delayed.
“In a normal year, I do believe the regional schools usually start sending them out in February,” Danielson said. “That didn’t start happening until the middle of or end of April, and so that extra two months or more that students weren’t getting financial aid offers really condensed down the time for them to make decisions, and I do believe the unknown did affect some students’ decisions here in Iowa.”
Students’ concerns are the possible changes in government scholarships and grants and how this will affect them and their peers.
“No changes have been announced for any Federal Student Aid programs at this time,” Olson said. “And it will not affect Iowa State students.”
According to CNBC, select students were invited to fill out the 2025-26 FAFSA starting Oct. 1 as part of a testing period. The department closely monitored the online application for issues that could be addressed before the full launch.
“FAFSA is not opening early; it is getting closer to the normal Oct. 1 launch date that has been in effect since the 2017-18 aid year,” Olson said. “The FAFSA Deadline Act now makes it mandatory for Federal Student Aid to have the FAFSA ready by Oct. 1. This will go into effect with the 2026-27 FAFSA cycle, which will start Oct. 1, 2025.”
FAFSA is always a tedious process for students. Many rely on the loans and scholarships it provides to pay for school.
“FAFSA has really helped me and my family plan for my years in college financially,” Catherine Laffey, a junior in journalism and mass communication, said. “Living in the dorms and on-campus housing for three years has saved me a lot of money through FAFSA over living off-campus.”
For more information on the FAFSA’s financial aid process, visit the Federal Student Aid website.
