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The 2027-28 FAFSA is here! This year’s form builds on many of the improvements introduced during the last FAFSA cycle, with updates designed to make the process faster and easier for students and families. From real-time FAFSA processing to improvements for returning students and families with multiple children in college, here are seven things counselors and other practitioners should know as they support students and families this year.

 What You Need to Know About the FAFSA Launch

1. The 2027-28 FAFSA is available now
   The 2027–28 FAFSA opened to the public on September 23, 2026, ahead of the October 1 deadline. Encourage students to get started early by creating or confirming access to their StudentAid.gov accounts, gathering the information they may need, and identifying any contributors who will need to complete a section of their FAFSA. Our FAFSA Checklist can help students and families prepare before they begin the process.

2. The FAFSA went through beta testing before its public release
   For the third year, Federal Student Aid used beta testing to identify and address issues before making the FAFSA widely available. The 2027-28 FAFSA went through two rounds of beta testing beginning in August before opening to everyone in September. Students who completed and submitted the FAFSA during beta do not need to complete another FAFSA. Their beta submission is their official 2027-28 FAFSA.

What You Need to Know About Changes to the FAFSA Form and Process

3. Returning students may have information carried over from their previous FAFSA
   Completing the FAFSA should be faster for many returning students this year. The 2027-28 FAFSA can prepopulate certain information from a student’s previous FAFSA, reducing the amount of information they need to enter again. Students should still carefully review any prepopulated information to ensure it is accurate before submitting their FAFSA.

4. Parents completing the FAFSA for multiple children can reuse information
   Families with more than one child completing a FAFSA may also have an easier experience this year. Through a feature called Family Fast Pass, some information provided by a parent can be transferred to FAFSA forms for their other children in the same FAFSA cycle. This means parents may not have to enter the same information multiple times when supporting more than one student with their FAFSA.

5. Students can see their FAFSA results right away
   An exciting improvement that students will see this year is real-time FAFSA processing. After submitting the FAFSA, most students can immediately access their FAFSA Submission Summary to view their confirmed Student Aid Index (SAI), Federal Pell Grant eligibility information, and any next steps they may need to take. Students can also begin making corrections right away, rather than waiting one to three days for their FAFSA to be processed. Encourage all students to review their FAFSA Submission Summary and address any issues that may require follow-up.

6. FAFSA applications are screened for potential fraud in real time
   Federal Student Aid now screens FAFSA applications for potential fraud as students complete and submit the form. Most students will not notice any difference, but a small number of applicants may be asked to take an additional step to confirm their identity. Students selected for identity confirmation will be asked to show a government-issued photo ID and complete a brief live camera check using a mobile device. If they cannot show an ID, they can still submit their FAFSA but must contact their school’s financial aid office to verify their identity.

7. Several FAFSA questions have been updated
   Students and families may notice changes to the wording of several FAFSA questions and help text this year. For example, the questions about students' state of residence and homelessness have been revised to make them easier to understand. Federal Student Aid updated questions based on feedback and common areas of confusion from previous FAFSA cycles.

uAspire Is Here to Help!

You’re not alone in supporting students and families through the FAFSA process. uAspire is here to help! Check out our updated StudentAid.gov Account How-to Guide and FAFSA Checklist, both ready to share with students and families. You can also explore our calendar of free events for practitioners, students, and families for additional support throughout the FAFSA season.

Together, we can make sure students have the guidance and resources they need to navigate the FAFSA and access the financial aid they deserve.

 *Photo by Allison Shelley/Complete College Photo Library