A long-awaited update to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as the FAFSA, was released on December 30. But some families are having trouble accessing the online form, which has so far only been available for short periods of time.
During what the Department of Education is calling a “soft launch,” the agency is monitoring site performance, conducting planned pauses for maintenance and making updates.
The FAFSA application was available for a 30-minute window on December 30, a 30-minute window on December 31 and a two-hour window on January 1, according to the Department of Education. More than 30,000 forms were successfully submitted during those times, and the form was reopened the afternoon of January 2.
When the FAFSA is paused, families may not be able to start or resume work on the form, which will be used to determine financial aid eligibility for the 2024-25 academic year.
The form is expected to be available for short periods of time during the coming days.
The Department of Education has been working on a major overhaul of the FAFSA for about three years, after Congress approved changes to the form to make it shorter and easier to fill out. More students are expected to qualify for financial aid.
Usually, the form is available October 1 each year, but the changes delayed this year’s release date. The updated form was required by law to be available by January 1, 2024.
Still, the Department of Education has said that families do not need to rush to immediately submit the FAFSA this year.
Even if a student submits the FAFSA now, the applicant will not receive the FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly known as the Student Aid Report) until late January. The report tells students how much federal student aid they are eligible for. An applicant will likely have to wait longer to…
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