Education Department Tests New FAFSA After Previous Rollout Failures

The Biden administration aims to avoid past mistakes with the 2025-2026 financial aid application by conducting extensive beta testing.

The Education Department is beta testing the new FAFSA form with 1,000 students to identify and fix issues before its December release.
Last year’s FAFSA rollout was marred by technical glitches and delays, leaving many students without timely financial aid offers.
The Government Accountability Office criticized the department for inadequate testing and poor project management in the previous cycle.
Millions of calls to the department's call center went unanswered, and many students received incorrect financial aid estimates.
The department has hired new experts, added customer service representatives, and plans extensive testing to prevent a repeat of last year's problems.