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Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

What to know about changes to this year’s FAFSA application for college students

File - Students make their way through the Sather Gate near Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley, campus March 29, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is available for the 2024-2025 school year, three months later than usual. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
File - Students make their way through the Sather Gate near Sproul Plaza on the University of California, Berkeley, campus March 29, 2022, in Berkeley, Calif. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is available for the 2024-2025 school year, three months later than usual. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)


NEW YORK (AP) — A new version of the federal student aid application known as the FAFSA is available for the 2024-2025 school year, but only on a limited basis as the U.S. Department of Education works on a redesign meant to make it easier to apply.

That means the Free Application for Federal Student Aid students can usually fill out starting in October isn’t yet available to everyone.

A soft launch period opened last week and the Department of Education said it will continue to make the new form available for short periods of time. Students who want to submit their applications now will need to monitor the studentaid.gov website since it’s available at different times during the day.

Since the soft launch was announced, there has been limited availability and some students and their families have experienced glitches.