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The Better FAFSA: What You Need to Know

Fill out the 2025-26 FAFSA today!

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Higher education opens doors to opportunity.

The U.S. Department of Education is making transformational changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. The FAFSA form is an application that students and families need to complete to apply for federal student aid, such as federal grants, work-study funds, and loans. Completing and submitting the FAFSA form is free, and it gives students access to the largest source of financial aid to help pay for higher education.

The Better FAFSA is simplified, redesigned, and streamlined. It is faster and easier to fill out, with most students and families completing it in less than 15 minutes. It ensures 665,000 more students will receive Federal Pell Grants to pay for college. Additionally, more than 1.7 million more students will receive the maximum Pell Grant.

A Focus on Improving the FAFSA® Experience

The Department is pleased to share some of the significant progress that has been made with the help of our partners and improvements we are making for the 2025–26 FAFSA cycle. The Department is committed to learning from challenges with the launch of the 2024–25 FAFSA form, increasing transparency, and making key improvements to the experience for students, families, colleges, and other stakeholders in the coming year. Read more here

Making FAFSA Corrections

Some students who already submitted FAFSA forms may need to make corrections. For students who need to make corrections to their FAFSA form, doing so should only take a few minutes. To get started, students and contributors should go to their StudentAid.gov account and select the form that notes an "Action Required" under "My Activity." Select "View FAFSA Submission Summary" to review the information and any actions you need to take to complete the form. Select the "Make a Correction" button at the top of the "FAFSA Form Answers" tab. Some of the most common corrections include signing the form or providing consent and approval to access and use federal tax data. Remember: successfully completing your FAFSA form is the first step to unlocking affordable and accessible higher education opportunities.

Watch these videos to learn more about making corrections to your FAFSA:

Other useful resources to help you prepare and submit your FAFSA® Form:

Better FAFSA Toolkits

 

Watch and share these videos on the Better FAFSA.

High School 2024-25 FAFSA Submission Rate

StateRate as of 12/13/24
Puerto Rico96.00%
District Of Columbia76.50%
Tennessee72.60%
Louisiana71.20%
Mississippi70.10%
Illinois69.50%
California69.20%
Rhode Island68.00%
Connecticut66.20%

The submission rate is based on the number of high school senior 2024-25 FAFSA submissions divided by the projected total of high school graduates for that state.

Check out high school FAFSA submission rates by state here (updated 12/18/24)

FAFSA Student Support Strategy

On May 6, the Department launched the FAFSA Student Support Strategy to continue increasing the number of high school students who complete a 2024-25 FAFSA and enroll in college, particularly first-time college students and students of color. This investment builds on the Department's efforts to help students, families, and institutions through the 2024-25 FAFSA application cycle, in addition to the College Support Strategy, the FAFSA Fast Break campaign, and direct communication efforts with institutions and stakeholders via the FAFSA Fast News blog.

As part of the FAFSA Student Support Strategy, the Department is providing up to $50 million to help school districts, states, nonprofits, and other public and private organizations with efforts to boost FAFSA completion. These funds will help grow capacity for organizations supporting FAFSA completion efforts, facilitate FAFSA clinics, and provide transportation and communication supports to families as needed. The program will be implemented by ECMC to support organizations with demonstrated experience expanding college access and enrollment. For additional details, read the press release here.

Resources for students and families, high school educators and college access counselors, and college officials

For students and families

  • See and share this toolkit for students and families
  • Learn about the better FAFSA form, and check out this slide deck
  • Read these FAFSA Pro Tips to help you successfully complete the FAFSA form
  • Check out this video on applying for financial aid with the FAFSA form
  • Watch and share these videos from students, a parent, an organizational leader, and Department leaders on the Better FAFSA.
  • Use the Federal Student Aid Estimator to receive an estimate of how much federal student aid the student may be eligible to receive

For high school educators and college access counselors

For college officials

  • See and share this toolkit for college officials
  • Check out this slide deck
  • Check out this roadmap for institutions and state partners
  • See the FSA Knowledge Center, a repository for all information, guidance, and training related to better FAFSA
  • Watch and share these videos from students, a parent, an organizational leader, and Department leaders on the Better FAFSA.
  • Bookmark this page for regular status updates and resources related to the better FAFSA form
  • Sign up to receive updates on webinars and other information

Resources For Media Outlets 

Additional Actions the Department is Taking

Significantly Reducing Verification Requirements

Thanks to the overhauled FAFSA form, the majority of income data now comes directly from the IRS, which will not need to be verified. This year's reduction in verifications will reduce the burden for colleges and students while continuing to protect against fraud.

Providing Additional Flexibility on Recertification

The Department will, through Sept. 2024, waive the requirement for institutions to recertify eligibility for federal student aid programs no later than 90 days before their Program Participation Requirement expires. This flexibility will give time back to institutions at this critical moment.

Making Connections to Data

The Department is posting new data and resources to help schools drive FAFSA completion. For example, the Department released data by high school on their students' 2024 — 2025 FAFSA submissions, two months ahead of schedule.

Suspending New Routine Program Reviews

The Department suspended new reviews through September 2024, except for the most serious issues, helping colleges focus on getting aid award offers to students.

Office of Communications and Outreach (OCO)
Page Last Reviewed:
December 19, 2024
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