By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Managing Editor
In its final FAFSA update for the Biden administration, the Department of Education (ED) provided additional details on the number of forms submitted for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 application cycles, the upcoming availability of batch corrections, and said that the 2026-27 FAFSA remains on track for an October 1 release this coming fall.
According to the notice posted on Wednesday, ED reports that 4.6 million students have submitted a 2025-26 FAFSA form to date.
For the previous cycle, the 2024-25 FAFSA, over 9.3 million applicants were eligible for a federal Pell Grant. Additionally, the number of postsecondary students receiving federal aid, for the 2024-25 cycle, is up 5.5% relative to the same time last year.
ED reiterated that it will make batch corrections available within the first quarter of 2025, following a “short beta testing period” expected to run this February.
The department also indicated that the 2026-27 FAFSA is on track to launch on October 1, 2025. As a part of the FAFSA Deadline Act, which was recently signed into law, the incoming secretary of education, late this summer, will need to certify to Congress that this timeline remains on track.
Stay tuned to Today’s News for more developments concerning the FAFSA.
Publication Date: 1/15/2025
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