The Department of Education announced that the 2025 – 2026 Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be available to all families by December 1, 2024. The FAFSA is an essential tool for families looking to receive financial aid to pay for college, unlocking access to grants, scholarships, and Federal student loans.
This year, the Department of Education will be having a soft launch of the FAFSA on October 1 to allow for testing and error correction. They will then begin allowing more and more users, until the full launch that’s now set for December 1.
This announcement of a December 1 opening date is later than most years. The FAFSA typically launches on October 1 each year. However, last year the FAFSA was delayed until December 28, and even after launching faced months of problems.
FAFSA Key Dates And Deadlines
Families with students heading to college need to be ready to fill out the FAFSA as early as possible. Many need-based grants and scholarships are dependent on the FAFSA, and some are first-come, first-serve.
Right now, families should plan on a December 1 FAFSA opening date. There may be some lucky families that are invited to apply early, in which case take advantage of that if you’re offered. However, most families won’t be able to fill out the FAFSA until after December 1.
While the Federal government won’t close the FAFSA until June 30 of the following year, each state may have shorter deadlines to be eligible for aid. Check out this list of FAFSA deadlines from the Department of Education for more information.
What Families Should Do Moving Forward
It’s essential that families consider the cost of college and financial aid when putting together a college application list. Many families are just now starting that process, since the Common App just opened for students to apply.
But with the potential for delayed financial aid award notifications, it’s essential that you’re both ready to fill out the FAFSA in December, as well as craft a college list with some financial safety schools in case the FAFSA is delayed again this year.
You don’t want to be applying to schools without knowing the financial implications as it could make future admissions decisions challenging.
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