The Education Department announced Wednesday that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available on the normal October deadline for the 2026-27 academic year after difficulties in previous years.
The Oct. 1 deadline has faced skepticism due to problems with the forms after then-President Biden’s revamp of the applications and concerns that President Trump’s Education Department has laid off too many people to see a successful, on-time rollout.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, our team has prioritized technical competence and expertise, which has led to the earliest testing launch of the FAFSA form in history,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.
“The Biden Administration failed the FAFSA rollout two years ago, leaving millions of American students and families without clear answers or a path forward in their educational journey. Congress gave us a mandate to improve the form and deliver it on time for students, families, and institutions of higher education — and I am proud to certify that the form will launch on time this fall.”
After the form was revamped under the Biden administration for the 2024-25 school year, the launched date was pushed back from October to January. From there, bugs and glitches caused the forms to be even further delayed, putting colleges and students in a tough spot.
For the 2025-26 school year, the applications weren’t fully open until a month late in November.
Although the problems were mostly fixed, others were worried about delays after layoffs were made at the department, including in the Federal Student Aid office that oversees the forms.
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