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Years of work to simplify the FAFSA are paying off, and students are filing the federal aid form in record numbers.
College students and their guardians must complete the FAFSA each year to qualify for federal and state grants and scholarships. They must also submit it to their school for campus-based aid.
The Department of Education generally updates the FAFSA each year. A couple of rocky launches drew calls for changes, so starting with the 2023-24 FAFSA, the Department of Education began overhauling the application under the FAFSA Simplification Act.
The biggest shift came in 2024-25. That year, the FAFSA launched Dec. 31, more than three months later than the Sept. 24 launch for the 2026-27 FAFSA.12
The FAFSA and the financial aid it provides are an essential part of college financing. Filing and seeing results quickly helps families know what they can afford.
The effects of the improvements and earlier start dates are already showing up in the numbers.
By late March, more than 10 million 2026-27 FAFSAs had been completed and processed, a 17% increase from the same time last year, according to the Department of Education.3
As of June 5, 57.7% of the high school class of 2026 had submitted their 2026-27 FAFSA, according to the National College Attainment Network (NCAN).4 That is about 10% more than the previous year and outpaces the 2018 record of 54.4%.
NCAN attributed the gains to several factors: the form opened earlier than usual, the FAFSA Simplification Act changes have settled in, and the 2026-27 form added further improvements.5
Before the 2026-27 FAFSA was released, the Department of Education made verification immediate for most filers and simplified the way students can invite their parents to complete their sections. Students only need to include their parents' email addresses, not their personal information.
After the most recent FAFSA launch, the Department of Education announced a faster way to correct any entries. Previously, families waited one to three days for a summary they could review for errors.
Federal Student Aid announced June 1 that students and families will see their FAFSA Submission Summary instantly after submitting for both the 2025-26 and 2026-27 cycles. They can make up to four corrections with instant results; a fifth triggers a 24-hour hold.6
The 2027-28 FAFSA is expected to launch by Oct. 1, 2026, the department said. It's also looking to further simplify the application's instructions.7 Students will also be able to auto-fill their data from previous FAFSAs. And a parent with more than one child in college—a FAFSA is required for each—will have their information carried across each family member's form after completing the first.