The new FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, has remained mostly inaccessible to the public since “soft” launching online on December 30. But the hours it’s accessible are getting longer, giving more students and their families a better shot at completing the key financial form.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the 2024-2025 financial aid form opened at 8 a.m. ET and closed at 8 p.m. ET with the same expected on Friday, according to a Department of Education spokesperson. The hours are up from 30 minutes on Dec. 30, the first day of the soft launch, and Dec. 31; two hours on January 1 and six hours on January 2.
As of 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, the spokesperson said the Department of Education has received more than a half million complete submissions. Tens of millions of students are expected to complete the FAFSA.
USA TODAY is compiling the latest information on the form’s hours and completion rates to help you gauge when you might be able to get your hands on the new form.
Is the new FAFSA form available?
On Friday, Jan 5., the form is expected to be live from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, consistent with Thursday’s hours and call center hours, the spokesman said.
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How many people have been able to complete FAFSA?
By 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, all together, the Department had received more than a half million successful submissions.
There may also be some applications “in progress,” which generally means a user has completed their portion of the form and…
