Education Department delays FAFSA for the second year in a row

As more and more students are filing for publicly-funded financial aid, the Department of Education is struggling to meet demand while staying on track to meet previous years’ administrative deadlines.

The Education Department recently announced that it will delay the release of the 2025-2026 Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) for most students. The form will be opened on October 1 as usual, but only for a select number of students and schools, who will provide feedback on the application’s new layout.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said that the decision to delay full access was prompted by efforts to improve students’ experience with the application.

“Throughout the testing period, we will share regular updates with all stakeholders so they can have a view into our progress and increase confidence in the process,” Cardona said. “This extended testing period will enable us to ensure the FAFSA is as stable and as user-friendly as possible, enabling more students to complete the application quickly and take the first and most important step towards college affordability.”

The Department said that it plans to open FAFSA to all prospective students on December 1

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Cardona also noted that the efforts to solicit more feedback from students was related to administrative struggles with the 2024 application process, during which the Department failed to adjust household incomes for inflation, resulting in a deficit of loanable funds of nearly $2 billion.

“Following 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,” Cardona said.

Beth Maglione, the interim president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, voiced support for the delay, emphasizing the importance of ensuring a smooth application in the wake of last year’s failures.

“The fact that we are still, to this day, dealing with the aftershocks of this year’s FAFSA rollout shows just how imperative it is that the process is thoroughly tested from end to end and launched as a system, not in a piecemeal manner,” she said.

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Secretary Cardona acknowledged that the Department’s failures to meet normal deadlines during the 2024 application cycle created significant challenges for families and students, noting that he and other officials are well-aware of FAFSA’s technological deficiencies.

“These challenges, rooted in a federal student aid department that was also in desperate need of modernization, resulted in frustration for many students, education leaders and policy makers on the Hill,” he said.

Campus Reform has reached out to the Education Department for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.