What You Need to Know About the 2025-26 FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an important tool for students seeking help to pay for college. However, the 2024-25 application process was plagued with problems after significant changes were made. Multiple glitches and delays caused a great deal of stress for students and families seeking financial assistance. To address these issues, several changes have been implemented for the 2025-26 academic year that enhance the application process and improve user experience. While these changes are not as significant as those made last year, it is still important for applicants to familiarize themselves with what to expect.

Phased Beta Rollout

After the problems experienced last year, the Department of Education decided that a phased beta rollout would be the best way to flag any potential issues with the 2025-26 form. The release was made available for a limited number of students by invitation only. Over 167,000 students submitted applications during the four-stage beta testing period, which started October 1. After successful beta testing, this year’s FAFSA was available to all students –– 10 days before its December 1 goal. So far, records have been sent to more than 5,200 schools across the U.S. The online form can be accessed at fafsa.gov, and the paper form is also available. The award year runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

“Who’s My FAFSA Parent” Wizard

A significant addition to the 2025-26 FAFSA is the “Who’s My FAFSA Parent” wizard. This online tool helps dependent students determine which parent’s information must be included on the FAFSA form before starting the application. This enhancement aims to reduce confusion and ensure that students provide the correct contributor information, thereby improving the accuracy of the application.

Enhanced Data Integration With the IRS

To simplify the application process, the 2025-26 FAFSA features improved integration with the Internal Revenue Service. Applicants can automatically transfer their federal tax information directly from IRS records into the FAFSA form. This helps reduce manual data entry, minimize errors, and streamline the application process. (This year, applicants will need to use tax information from 2023 to complete the form.)

Updated Terminology and Calculation Methods

The FAFSA has undergone terminology updates to align with current standards and improve clarity. Additionally, there have been changes in the calculation methods for financial aid eligibility. Specifically, the sibling tuition discount has been removed, which may affect the aid calculations for families with multiple children in college. Applicants are encouraged to review these changes to understand how they may impact their financial aid packages.

Increased Customer Support and Resources

In response to previous challenges, the Department of Education has expanded its customer service team by adding 700 call center workers to assist families with the FAFSA submission process. Furthermore, several resources have been made available to guide applicants, including:

• FAFSA preview presentation provides financial aid administrators, advisors, and mentors with information and screenshots of the 2025-26 online form for use in staff trainings and financial aid workshops.
• FAFSA prototype offers the financial aid community an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the FAFSA user experience.
• Federal student aid estimator allows students and families to estimate their student aid index (SAI) and potential federal student aid eligibility.
• The “Creating your studentaid.gov account” guide is a new resource that explains everything students and families need to know about creating a student aid.gov account.

These tools are designed to help students and families navigate the FAFSA process more effectively and maximize their financial aid opportunities.

In addition to the many changes made last year, the 2025-26 FAFSA now offers key components to simplify and improve the financial aid application process. Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these updates and utilize the available resources to ensure a smooth and successful application experience. Remember that the FAFSA must be completed every year if a student wants to be considered for financial assistance. Completing the form early and accurately is important, as some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information about this and other college application topics, contact us. At Moxie College Counseling, our goal is to ensure the application process runs as smoothly as possible, with outcomes that give students a sense of pride in their accomplishments. This is an exciting time, and we’re here to help our clients navigate each step of the journey.