ED Provides Details on Technical Fixes to Both 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday announced via an electronic announcement that it has implemented technical fixes to several “bugs” identified in both the 2024-25 FAFSA cycle and the current beta testing of the 2025-26 FAFSA.
According to ED, these fixes “enhance the user experience and improve functionality” of the FAFSA for both 2024-25 and 2025-26 cycles.
ED wrote that these fixes address issues that include requiring students and their contributors to re-sign forms in certain situations; requiring applicants to provide assets on an initial application when they were not required; preventing students from seeing an invitation from a contributor to complete the form; and making it challenging for users with a military address to submit a FAFSA form.
According to ED, these fixes also improved security and internal tracking processes.
As the full launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA nears, ED wrote it will continue to prioritize resolving issues that block users from submitting the FAFSA or impact student eligibility for federal student aid programs. Additionally, ED noted it will continue to list issues and provide updates on the FAFSA Issue Alerts page and the Technical Frequently Asked Questions and Known Issues guide. The fixes announced on Wednesday will be reflected in both resources in the “coming days,” ED wrote.
“It is encouraging that the department has implemented these fixes and continues to address bugs found in the 2024-25 FAFSA, which are still complicating matters for financial aid offices,” said NASFAA Interim President and CEO Beth Maglione. “We continue to support end-to-end testing to ensure that the 2025-26 FAFSA works effectively for students, families, and schools when released on December 1. We also urge ED to maintain transparency in its communication with institutions, so the higher education community can help address any potential issues as they arise.”
In the electronic announcement, ED said it is continuing its beta testing of the 2025-26 FAFSA, and so far has not uncovered any “critical bugs.” ED aims to release more updates on 2025-26 FAFSA testing next week, and remains “on track” to have the form available to all by December 1.
Wednesday’s electronic announcement also noted that ED has increased training and staffing levels at the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC), with an over 80% increase in the number of agents, and additional availability hours in the evening and Saturday during the first few months that the 2025-26 FAFSA will be available to all.
Earlier this week, ED released new reference tools, screenshots, and a presentation of the upcoming 2025-26 FAFSA to help partners prepare for staff training and financial aid nights. Additionally, ED is hosting a webinar on November 8 on preparing for the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA, along with updates on 2024-25 FAFSA processing.
Publication Date: 10/31/2024
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