For the first time since 2022, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid will open on its regularly scheduled Oct. 1 date, the Department of Education announced on Aug. 27.
Students looking to receive financial aid, including federal student loans and grants, for the 2026-27 school year need to fill out the FAFSA to be considered. The federal deadline isn’t until June 30, 2026, but your school likely has an earlier deadline — which could be as soon as January — to receive institutional aid.
After a successful first round of beta testing in August, the department began a second phase, allowing any student to request access to the beta version of the 2026-27 form. Students who submit their FAFSA during beta testing will not need to resubmit when the form officially opens on Oct. 1.
Over 3,100 students have submitted a FAFSA as of Sept. 3, according to Federal Student Aid.
Students expecting to qualify for a Pell Grant may want to wait for the full launch on Oct. 1 to submit their FAFSA, says Megan Walter, senior policy analyst at the National Association of Student Aid Administrators. That’s because the grant has new eligibility criteria as a result of the so-called “big beautiful bill” legislation that isn’t built into the beta version of the application.
