Following two delayed rollouts, FAFSA got off to a record start this year and may reach one of its highest completion rates.
The 2026-27 FAFSA form opened this year on Sept. 24, nearly a week earlier than its now lawfully mandated release date on Oct. 1.
Nearly all of the 43,000 students and families invited to test the beta rollout of the FAFSA form in August and September were satisfied with the process, according to the Department of Education.
“It’s simpler, it’s faster and it’s hugely helpful for our low-income students who stand to benefit most,” says Louisa Woodhouse, senior policy and advocacy at the National College Attainment Network. “I think we’re also interested to see the impact this has on enrollment as well.”
In its first two years, the revamped FAFSA Simplified form, which dramatically reduced the number of questions for students and families, was released in December. This resulted in crunched timelines for college financial aid offices to process forms and send financial aid packages to students.
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However, FAFSA completion rates for the 2025-26 form are about 15% higher than the previous year, according to data from the National College Attainment Network. This suggests that many of the technical challenges experienced by students during the calamitous rollout for the 2024-25 form have been resolved, Woodhouse says.
“The strong FAFSA completion we expect to see for the high school graduate class of 2026 is a result of additional improvements, a greater completion window, and broader counselor familiarity with the new form. I don’t want to make any promises now, but it seems like we’re on track to get back to some record high FAFSA completion levels.”
The government shutdown is not predicted to affect FAFSA completion. Funding for FAFSA via Pell Grants and other forms of federal student aid have already been allocated, and call centers at the Federal Student Aid Office remain open.
“It’s a testament to the work that the FAFSA team did to respond to student and family feedback, and I think the reviews that we’ve heard about the form and the call center really amplify that,” Woodhouse says.
