This article was originally published in EducationNC.
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) officially released the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on Nov. 21, 10 days before its Dec. 1 goal and three days after opening the form to all students and families as part of the Department’s Expanded Beta 4 testing.
The online FAFSA form is available to all students and families at fafsa.gov, and the paper form is also now available for students to submit.
“I’m pleased to announce that after four successful rounds of beta testing, the 2025–26 FAFSA form is now available to all students and families,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “After months of hard work and lots of feedback from students, schools, and other stakeholders, we can say with confidence that FAFSA is working and will serve as the gateway to college access and affordability to millions of students.”
The beta testing for the 2025-26 FAFSA followed the rocky launch of the “Better FAFSA” earlier this year, which saw multiple glitches and delays and caused stress for students and families seeking help paying for college.
While many students experienced delays, students from mixed-status families, or those whose parents don’t have a social security number, were particularly impacted by the glitches. DOE officials previously told members of the press that “many” mixed-status students successfully submitted their applications during Beta 1, which started Oct. 1.
Beta 2 testing started on Oct. 15, and Beta 3 started in early November. The final stage of testing, Beta 4, started on Nov. 13, expanding the testing to thousands of additional students recruited by various community and education organizations. On Nov. 18, the DOE entered its final stage of beta testing, “Expanded Beta 4,” which allowed all students to submit forms.
According to a Nov. 21 press release from the DOE, more than 167,000 students successfully submitted their 2025-26 FAFSA during the beta testing period. The Department has sent records to more than 5,200 schools across the U.S., the release said.
“Already, over 650,000 more applicants are eligible for Pell Grants, and more students are receiving Pell Grants, this school year compared to last year,” Cardona said. “We stand ready to help millions more students complete the FAFSA and get the financial aid they need to pursue their dreams of a college education.”
The College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC) is encouraging students and families to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible.
“Last year the FAFSA was revamped into a new form that delayed the process, and some families experienced issues submitting it,” CFNC said in a press release. “But so far this year the application process has been running smoothly, with no critical errors reported so far, so there is no need to wait to get started.”
The 2025–26 FAFSA form is available now for the award year that runs from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Here’s what you need to know about the FAFSA and how to apply.
How to apply
First, you’ll need to create a StudentAid.gov account.
Your contributors will also need to create their own StudentAid.gov accounts. Your contributors are anyone required to provide information on your FAFSA form, such as your parents or your spouse.
If you are a student, you will be required to enter your Social Security number (SSN) to create a StudentAid.gov account unless you’re a citizen of the Freely Associated States (the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau).
If your contributors do not have a SSN, they can still create an account to complete their section of your FAFSA form. However, if your contributors do have a SSN, you are required to provide the number when inviting them to contribute to your FAFSA form.
Next, gather the documents needed to apply. The FAFSA asks for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and your financial situation. Here are some examples of the information you might need:
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Records of child support received
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Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
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Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms
The financial data determines a family’s expected out-of-pocket college payments. If those returns don’t reflect your current financial situation, you can file an appeal for a professional judgment review with the school you plan to attend.
File your FAFSA form online at fafsa.gov, by completing a FAFSA PDF and mailing it, or by requesting a print-out of the FAFSA PDF at 1-800-433-3243 and mailing it. Check out this resource for information on what happens after you submit your FAFSA form.
If you need help filling out the FAFSA, you can speak with someone at the DOE’s contact center at 1-800-433-3243 or by live chat on their website. The Department is also offering expanded FAFSA-only hours at the center Nov. 22 through March 2.
Students and families can reach agents at the contact center in English or in Spanish. Interpretation services in additional languages can be accessed here.
Why the FAFSA matters
According to the CFNC, completing the FAFSA is “an important step toward paying for college.”
Completing a FAFSA makes you eligible for federal aid, such as Pell Grants, work-study programs, and previous Covid-19 relief. Many North Carolina colleges and universities also use the form to divvy up state aid.
Affordability is one of the main barriers to postsecondary attainment. The FAFSA helps many students access money for college they otherwise couldn’t. In North Carolina, 55.2% of seniors completed the FAFSA for the 2024-25 cycle, as of Sept. 27, 2024.
However, barriers to filling out the form exist for many students. Students of color are less likely to complete the FAFSA, and first-generation prospective college students and their families also face barriers.
A lack of reliable internet access and language barriers can also be a challenge. Community colleges across the state have hosted FAFSA events to help provide in-person assistance filling out the forms.
“We are very fortunate to have our community colleges be an advocate for that,” Amy Denton, a regional representative at CFNC, previously told EdNC.
This year, CFNC is encouraging students and families to apply for the 2025-26 FAFSA early.
One reason is to maximize your financial aid opportunities. According to a CFNC release, some funding is allocated first-come, first-served, and some scholarships have early deadlines.
“So get all the aid you qualify for by submitting your FAFSA early,” the release says.
Applying early also means you will receive your financial aid package award letters sooner.
“Knowing how much federal, state and college-based aid you’re awarded can help you decide which options fit your budget,” CFNC said.
In North Carolina, applying for the FAFSA also automatically enrolls you for the Next NC Scholarship. That scholarship covers tuition and fees at any North Carolina community college for students from families making $80,000 a year or less. If interested in a university, students can get a minimum of $5,000 towards tuition and fees at any of the 16 UNC system schools.
What to do if you don’t or can’t complete it
Most individual colleges have their own scholarship and aid dashboards.
While many need-based funds require a FAFSA, some allow other documentation of your financial situation. Many scholarships don’t require any financial documentation.
If you’re not a U.S. citizen, you might not have a SSN. In this case, you can use your Alien Registration number to apply. Non-citizen students can also seek aid at individual colleges with funds that don’t require the FAFSA, like these resources at Durham Tech and Wake Tech.
You can learn more about other FAFSA barriers here.
More resources
The Department recently released several new resources to assist students and families in completing and submitting the FAFSA form during the 2025–26 cycle:
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Pro Tips for Completing the FAFSA Form: Updated tips for preparing to fill out and submitting the FAFSA form. This resource is also linked to the StudentAid.gov Dashboard to promote easier access for students and their required contributor(s).
Here are other resources:
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Financial Aid Toolkit: Updated resources for school counselors, college access professionals, and mentors with information about the FAFSA process.
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FAFSA Issue Alerts page: A list of known issues with the form updated in real-time as bugs are fixed in beta testing.
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FAFSA videos: Updated videos to help students and families understand the importance of the FAFSA, who is a FAFSA contributor, and what happens after submitting the form:
If you are a student reapplying for the FAFSA, your college’s counseling office is also a great resource.
This article first appeared on EducationNC and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.