On Wednesday, September 12, the Department of Education (ED) provided updated details on the next phases of FAFSA 2025-26 Beta testing. ED also released information about the community-based organizations that were selected to participate in FAFSA Beta 1 testing.
The FAFSA 2025-26 Beta 1 testing is set to begin on 10/01/24.
In our previous FAFSA post, we recapped the events of the 2024-25 cycle as well as the plan for the 2025-26 cycle.
Status Update
We have been informed that FSA has received enough applications from community-based organizations to allow the announced first round of testing to proceed.
This is good news!
An official announcement about the selected organizations is expected from FSA on or about 09/11/24.
The Timeline
According to last month’s announcement, the selected community-based organizations (CBO) should hold their testing sessions on or shortly after 10/01.
If you recall the CBOs were required to submit at least one institution of higher education to which the majority of the testing students would apply.
With these conditions met, FSA should have the ability to test application processing and Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) generation.
This should provide FSA with a clear window into the current status of the system coumminications.
What Happens Next?
Once the initial phase of testing is completed, three more rounds of testing are planned.
Information about phases 2-4 is expected later this month.
It is reasonable to conclude that the next phases will depend on the success of the initial phase.
At this stage, there is no indication the FSA won’t meet its target date of 12/01 for all students to have full access.
Stay Tuned
We will continue to monitor and report on the situation as it unfolds.
With the corrections previously made to the internal and external systems and a slower rollout, everyone is expecting a much better experience this cycle.
Eight months after the glitch-riddled launch the FAFSA Saga continues.
The Current Cycle
Before we examine the proposed opening of the 2025-26 application cycle, let’s see where things stand with the glitch-riddled 2024-25 applications.
Although most applications have been fully processed, some students and institutions still have lingering issues.
Under normal circumstances, schools can process batch corrections but the Department of Education (ED), notified institutions that batch processing would not be available in August, as promised.
This will no doubt cause delays for some students receiving their aid on time for the start of the fall semester, which is now.
The intent of the FAFSA Simplification Act was not only to simplify the process of applying for financial aid but also to make that aid accessible to more students.
The 2024-25 FAFSA didn’t accomplish these goals. Instead, students and their families faced a myriad of issues accessing and completing the form, which ultimately led to a decrease in applications.
