FAFSA forms to make October release after two-year struggle

The Hill

Lexi Lonas Cochran

January 15, 2025

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms will be released on Oct. 1 this year, the Department of Education announced on Wednesday, hitting the normal deadline after two chaotic years.

The good news of a normalized schedule comes after the department’s goal to simplify the FAFSA forms caused delays for two cycles.

Back in 2023, the deadline was missed completely, and forms weren’t released to everyone until the beginning of 2024.

Once the forms were released, bugs and errors plagued the system, and schools did not receive the financial aid information they needed on time.

For the 2024-2025 FAFSA cycle, the forms were not released until December, but a smoother rollout has taken place and schools will likely get the information they need to meet their deadlines of sending out offers.

The department says 94 percent of individuals are satisfied with the submission process this cycle.

Continue Reading