The new and simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now available 24/7 to everyone, officially ending the “soft launch” period that saw the form go offline for hours at a time, the Department of Education said.
The Department of Education met its legal obligation to release the new form by the end of 2023, about three months later than its usual Oct. 1 date, with a soft launch of the application. On Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, the application was only available for 30 minutes each day, frustrating students eager to complete the application as soon as possible to meet school deadlines, some as early as January 15. Each day, the form’s open hours got longer but the application remained inaccessible to many people.
Now, the Department of Education says the form is finally ready to be “continuously available except for routine maintenance, typical of any FAFSA cycle,” which should ease people’s fears of missing out on money for school.
“We recognize how important it is for students and families to get the information they need on StudentAid.gov to plan for the upcoming school year,” said Federal Student Aid Chief Richard Cordray in a statement.
How many people complete FAFSA?
About 18 million FAFSAs were submitted during the 2020-21 application cycle, according to Federal Student Aid data.
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Even more applications are expected for the 2024-25 school year because FAFSA was simplified to encourage more…
