After a tumultuous year in the financial aid world riddled with delays, setbacks, a miscalculation, and a fair amount of grief, colleges are hoping things go a little smoother this year with the rollout of the 2025-26 FAFSA.  

To underscore the hope that things do go smoothly, the Department of Education is rolling out this year’s FAFSA form in two parts. A beta test of a small group of students and community-based organizations had access to the form beginning this past month. Feedback on the user experience is being collected from this group so that fixes may be made prior to the general release on December 1st.  

The feedback thus far, from those in the beta group, is positive. Completion time for the form is relatively quick, clocking in at about 20 minutes on average, and errors made by users have been minimal.  

This is good news and in stark contrast to last season’s rollout. As colleges and universities look forward, there are lessons learned over the last year that can ensure this coming season not only returns to some semblance of normalcy but will be better than ever. 

Looking back to look ahead

  • Delay is discouraging. Communication is key. The general release slated for December is still two months later than normal. While that’s better than the severe delay last year, students, families, and counselors will still have a compressed time frame to complete the form. Early communication from the institution can prime students and families for what is ahead and when to be ready to act. That should involve incorporating messaging in your communication flow now that encourages students to create their FSA ID before December to streamline their experience once the form is live.  
  • There is no such thing as over preparation. The beta group, while small, is generating ISIRs now. Institutions can use this information for testing modeling strategies, ironing out kinks, and readying staff for what is to come. When go-time comes in December, schools can hit the ground running. 
  • Support and patience to go the distance. One of the most unsettling lessons learned from last year was that many students decided not to fill out the FAFSA form at all, which had a huge impact on where—and if—they went to college. According to National College Attainment Network’s FAFSA Tracker, only 49% of high school 2024 grads filled out the FAFSA, down 9.9% over the previous year. Institutions that can offer resources to prospective and current students on filling out the FAFSA by way of workshops, virtual webinars, drop-in hours, etc. can poise students to successfully complete the form this year. 
  • Presentation is everything. A timely financial aid notification that lays out all funding opportunities and costs clearly while making a compelling case for the investment is a gold standard. Last year’s delay caused many schools to alter their award notifications, piecing together what information was available in an abbreviated notification and leaving out important return on investment and value messaging. From the perspective of a student and family making their selections, this was confusing and less than ideal. If your award notification is an afterthought, your institution may add to the confusion in the minds of your prospect pool. 

As December approaches with the next financial aid season on the horizon, we can better serve students by using the experiences of this past year to guide our methods.