The rollout for the updated FAFSA application has been delayed

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The Department of Education (ED) is preparing to launch the 2024-2025 FAFSA application with significant updates and improvements after the issues faced in previous years. The rollout for the 2025-2026 FAFSA will be phased, starting on October 1, 2024, with a limited release to a select group of students and institutions for testing. By mid-October, this will expand to thousands of students, and by early November, tens of thousands. The full release to the public is anticipated by December 1, 2024.

This phased rollout aims to address the technical challenges and errors experienced during the previous FAFSA cycle. ED plans to use real IRS data and actual Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) to thoroughly test the application. Feedback from this testing phase will be crucial in identifying and fixing bugs, improving clarity, and ensuring the application process is as stable and user-friendly as possible.

In addition to the phased rollout, ED will continue to work on other important features, such as batch corrections, which were not fully functional in the previous cycle. These corrections are vital for financial aid offices to efficiently handle FAFSA submissions, and ED plans to release a roadmap outlining when these will be available for the 2025-2026 cycle.

Overall, the Department of Education is taking steps to ensure that the FAFSA application process is more reliable, user-friendly, and better tested, aiming to avoid the issues that have plagued it in the past and improve the experience for students and families applying for financial aid.

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