After several cycles of delayed releases and technical issues, many financial aid experts say they think families will have a smoother experience filling out the 2026-2027 FAFSA, which is now open.
“Students and parents alike are reporting that completing the FAFSA this year is faster and easier than ever,” says Traci Stensland, assistant vice president of student financial services at Whitworth University in Washington. “The financial aid community is hopeful that this improved experience will motivate more students to apply — ultimately boosting FAFSA filing rates and expanding access to college funding.”
Filing the FAFSA is required for students who wish to be considered for federal financial aid. Colleges and states use the form to determine eligibility for grants and scholarships. Students must reapply each year to receive aid.
The final date to submit the 2026-2027 FAFSA is June 30, 2027, but deadlines vary among institutions and states.
[Read: What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs.]
What Changes Have Been Made to the FAFSA?
Here are some changes to the 2026-2027 form.
Immediate Identity Verification
Those who create a StudentAid.gov account — required for all filers and contributors — with a Social Security number will now be verified immediately, rather than within one to three days.
Students should “use an email address that they won’t lose access to,” says Brittany Grubb, director of financial aid and scholarships at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. For instance, they shouldn’t use an email address “associated with their high school because they may lose access after graduation.”
Simplified Contributor Invitation
Dependent students need to invite contributors — a parent, stepparent, spouse or anyone else required to provide information on the FAFSA — to complete the form. To do so previously, students had to provide a contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security number and email address. For the 2026-2027 form, however, only a contributor’s email is required.
“We had students in high school running around with their parents’ Social Security number or birth date,” Stensland says. “Now, most parents weren’t that liberal with that data. But still, I think it created a barrier for some students.”
Asset Calculation Exclusions
As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, several assets are no longer included in the student aid index calculation, including the net worth of family-owned businesses with a maximum of 100 full-time or full-time-equivalent employees; any farms that a family resides on; or family-owned and family-controlled commercial fishing businesses. The SAI is used to determine families’ financial aid eligibility.
[Read: 19 Questions College Financial Aid Officers Wish Parents Would Ask]
Pell Grant Eligibility
The bill also made criteria changes for federal Pell Grant eligibility, including the addition of foreign earned income in the adjusted gross income calculation.
“This change aims to automate the process, reducing the need for manual reviews by aid administrators,” Stensland says.
Additionally, FAFSA filers with an SAI that equals or exceeds twice the maximum Pell award amount for that year — $14,790 in 2026-2027 — don’t qualify for the need-based grant.
“It’s important for families to review the new thresholds and understand how they could affect aid,” Ken Ruggiero, co-founder and CEO of Ascent Funding, wrote in an email. “Even small tweaks can make a difference, so don’t assume it’s the same as last year.”
What to Know About Filling Out the FAFSA
The 2026-2027 FAFSA opened Sept. 24, 2025, a week before its typical open Oct. 1 date. This early release comes after the last two cycles opened in December, which significantly reduced the college decision timeline for many families hoping to qualify for aid.
“It didn’t give students and their families a long time to compare financial aid offers,” Grubb says. “Different schools were able to move at different rates. A lot of schools have an early May decision deadline, so you saw a lot of schools moving that deadline the last couple of years. Hopefully now, students and their families have more time to compare financial aid offers, ask questions and figure out the best situation” for them.
[Read: How Much Student Loan Debt Does the Average College Graduate Have?]
Experts recommend filing as soon as possible because some states and colleges have limited financial aid resources.
“If you file early, you’re giving yourself a competitive edge, especially for grants and institutional aid that are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis,” Ruggiero says.
The Federal Student Aid Information Center, which provides support on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, has a phone, chat or email function to answer FAFSA-related questions. Families can also reach out to a college’s financial aid office.
“Ask for help if you need it,” Grubb says. “We get a lot of questions every year and we want students to be able to make the best decision. With that comes advocating for yourself and your situation.”
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What’s New on the 2026-2027 FAFSA originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 10/30/25: This article was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
