When does the 2025-2026 FAFSA open for applications? Official dates needed!

Based on what happened with the 2024-2025 FAFSA, my guess is they'll open December 1st 2024. The October start date is probably gone forever after they did that

Thanks! December would actually work better for me since we won't have moved yet. Did your daughter's aid get delayed because of the late FAFSA opening?

The Department of Education hasn't officially announced the 2025-2026 FAFSA open date yet, but they typically publish this information by late summer. Based on the patterns from the last cycle, it will most likely open December 1st, 2024. The October opening was abandoned during the FAFSA Simplification implementation.\n\nIf you want to prepare now, you should:\n1. Get your 2023 tax returns organized (that's what they'll use for 2025-2026)\n2. Create FSA IDs for both you and your son if you haven't already\n3. Research your son's colleges' priority filing deadlines (many are still Feb-March despite the later FAFSA opening)\n\nThe most official confirmation will come directly from studentaid.gov in the coming months.

This is super helpful, thank you! I didn't realize they'd use our 2023 taxes - I thought it would be 2024 since it's for 2025-2026. That's a relief since our 2023 taxes are already done.

my son jsut graduated and we did fafsa every yr. they changed everything last yr and its all diffrent now with the SAI instead of EFC. they say december but who knows lol. nothng ever goes as planned with these ppl

You're absolutely right about the change from EFC to SAI (Student Aid Index). That was part of the FAFSA Simplification Act which also moved the opening date. The SAI calculations are somewhat different, but serve the same basic purpose of measuring your ability to pay for college.

I called the Federal Student Aid office yesterday about something else and actually asked this exact question! The agent said they're

You actually got through to someone?? I've tried calling them three times about my older daughter's account issues and never got past the hold music. How long did you have to wait?

I used a service called Claimyr to get through to the FSA helpline without waiting on hold for hours. You can check them out at claimyr.com - they basically hold your place in line and call you when an agent is available. Saved me so much time! They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nAs for the FAFSA dates, my financial aid counselor at the community college said they're definitely not going back to October. December is the new normal now that they've implemented the \

Thank you for the tip! I'll definitely check out Claimyr since I still have questions about the contributor section. So frustrating that they shortened the timeline but didn't adjust all the school deadlines accordingly.

OK but has anybody considered that they might actually move it EARLIER than December this year?? The only reason it was delayed last year was because of the system overhaul. Now that they've fixed most of the bugs (supposedly), maybe they'll open it in November or something? I'm hoping so because my twins are both applying and I need all the time I can get!

That would be nice but I seriously doubt it. Government systems never improve that quickly. My daughter's financial aid officer said they're still finding bugs in the \

From what I understand based on the Department of Education's public statements, the 2025-2026 FAFSA will likely open on December 1st, 2024. This isn't just a temporary change - the December opening is now part of the permanent FAFSA calendar following the implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act.\n\nThe key dates you should be aware of:\n- December 1, 2024: FAFSA likely opens\n- Using 2023 tax information (prior-prior year)\n- Most state aid deadlines remain in February-March 2025\n- CSS Profile (required by some private schools) typically opens October 1\n\nMy advice would be to prepare your tax documents and other financial information in advance, and set a calendar reminder for December 1st. Also check your specific colleges' financial aid deadlines, as they may have adjusted their timelines to accommodate the new FAFSA schedule.

Thank you for the detailed information! I didn't realize the CSS Profile opens earlier - my son is applying to a couple private schools so that's good to know. I'll mark my calendar for both dates.