Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced that more than 8 million 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) forms have been successfully submitted and processed, nearly a 50% increase on the number of applications submitted at this time last year. This is a major milestone following the Biden Administration's mismanagement of the 2024–25 FAFSA rollout. Federal Student Aid (FSA) typically delivers an Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), which contains the information admissions officers rely on to calculate financial aid offers, within one business day of students’ FAFSA submission.
The Department also announced improvements to the FAFSA form to upgrade the user experience for students, parents, colleges, and universities, while cracking down on fraudulent activity and planning for the successful release of the 2026–27 FAFSA form.
“The Biden administration’s FAFSA failure affected hundreds of thousands of American families – not only forcing colleges and universities to push back their enrollment deadlines but leaving students in the dark about their future education,” said Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the FAFSA form is a priority and we are correcting course by implementing industry best practices, which has resulted in providing universities with accurate data, ensuring American students have access to the best tools and resources, all while cracking down on fraud.”
Eliminating Fraud and Abuse
To continue our commitment to deliver meaningful and lasting results to both the taxpayers and the students we serve, the Department has resumed flagging potentially fraudulent activity on the FAFSA form. These efforts include flagging applicants suspected of assuming another individual’s identity.
Resolving Problems with the 2024–25 FAFSA Form
Unlike the Biden Administration that delayed batch corrections multiple times, on Feb. 27, the Department announced the general availability of batch corrections for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 FAFSA cycles after concluding a successful beta testing of the process. Batch corrections allow colleges and universities to more efficiently update information, which will reduce the time institutions’ staff spend on FAFSA corrections.
Preparing to Launch the 2026–27 FAFSA Form
The Department opened the 60-day comment period for public input about the 2026–27 FAFSA form. The comment period ends April 7. In addition, the Department is on track for a successful release by October 1.