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Education News
Feven Gerezgiher

‘Much better’: College leaders optimistic as new FAFSA form debuts early

Students walking
Students walk in the Northrop Mall at the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis on Sept. 6.
Sophia Marschall | MPR News

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Students hoping to attend college or trade school starting fall 2025 can now submit applications for financial help. 

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, is what people complete to receive grants, scholarships and other forms of aid to attend institutions of higher education. Those include technical colleges and studies ranging from certificate to doctorate programs. 

The U.S Department of Education had planned to release the FAFSA for the 2025-2026 school year by Dec. 1, but ended up opening it on Thursday. 

“With a holiday week coming up, this might allow for families to have some time when they don't have work or other obligations, in order to get in and start that process,” said Isaiah Allen, a spokesperson for College Possible Minnesota, a St. Paul nonprofit that helps lower-income students access higher education. 

College Possible is offering individualized help with the FAFSA to all Minnesotans and was one of 20 organizations nationwide selected to beta test the FAFSA before it became widely available this fall.  

Last year, changes mandated by Congress intended to simplify the FAFSA delayed its release and plagued its rollout, with technical glitches preventing many students from completing the form. That in turn pushed back college decisions and created issues through the summer. 

FAFSA completion rates dropped among high school seniors, with a nearly 5 percent drop in submissions from Minnesota’s class of 2024 compared to the year prior, as of Nov. 8 data. 

Allen said those issues have been resolved and he is optimistic that financial aid processes will be a lot smoother this cycle. 

“We’re excited that the form is working much, much better than it did last year,” he said. 

College leaders across the country echoed the optimism. 

In a news release, the Department of Education reported that more than 167,000 students have already submitted applications though beta testing. It also said it hired hundreds of additional agents to work at its contact center helping applicants. 

“We stand ready to help millions more students complete the FAFSA and get the financial aid they need to pursue their dreams of a college education,” wrote U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. 

In Minnesota, lower-income students access the North Star Promise program by completing the FAFSA. Undocumented students can apply through the Minnesota Dream Act application.

The deadline to submit the FAFSA for the current academic year is June 30, 2025. The deadline to submit it for the 2025-2026 academic year is June 30, 2026.