The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today announced the launch of the second stage of testing, Beta 2, for the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Over the last two weeks through the first stage of testing, thanks to the help of community-based organizations, hundreds of students across the country successfully submitted their FAFSA form, the Department processed these forms, and institutions were able to access the records sent to them. Students were also able to make corrections to their forms. Throughout this process, the Department did not uncover any critical bugs. Though Beta 1 FAFSA events have now concluded, submissions will continue to increase as students and families from those events—including those needing additional information from parents or spouses—continue to complete the form. Colleges and universities will also continue to ingest Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). Throughout the extensive Beta 1 testing, the Department encountered opportunities to improve the usability of the FAFSA form, which was expected given that the Department has prioritized the stability of the application. Improving usability will continue to be a focus of the Department following the full launch of the FAFSA form on or before December 1. Department staff were on site to observe and support students and families in six cities across the country – Birmingham, Alabama; Santa Barbara, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Dallas, Texas; Alexandria, Virginia – during FAFSA events from October 1–3 as hundreds of students and their families, as well as staff from community-based organizations and local colleges, gathered in school gymnasiums and auditoriums to complete and submit the 2025–26 FAFSA form and provide feedback about the experience.
Through those events: - Over 650 students successfully submitted applications
- 586 unique institutions received 6,266 ISIRs generated by those applications
- Dozens of student corrections were successfully completed
Beta 2, which launches today, includes 16 organizations that together will recruit thousands of students, including applicants from diverse income, geographic, family, and educational backgrounds. These include first-generation students, first-time filers, returning students, and mixed-status families, among others. Half of the organizations are institutions of higher education that will ask their current students to submit the FAFSA form as returning students for the 2025–26 cycle – which will mark the first time returning students take part in beta testing. These institutions of higher education will also begin downloading and testing ISIRs to the extent that their financial aid systems are able to do so. The Department will continue to share information about FAFSA testing broadly with all stakeholders. More detail about Beta 1 results and upcoming beta testing can be found at FAFSA.gov/beta. The Department is providing important resources such as videos and toolkits to support the financial aid community and students and families in preparing for the 2025–26 FAFSA cycle; links to these resources can be found in today’s press release.
|
