The 2026-2027 academic year Free Application for Federal Student Aid has opened a full week early, on Sept. 24.
Historically, FAFSA has tried to release on Oct. 1, though that is just tentative, as seen for the 2024-2025 academic year when FAFSA opened in December 2023, making it two months late.
The FAFSA itself has reportedly been overhauled, noted directly by the Department of Education. It has gone through several rounds of beta tests, one of which was an event that United States Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attended on Aug. 13.
The DoE has said that these beta tests were successful, with those who applied during the beta not having to re-enter their information.
Many grants and aid offered through the FAFSA are time sensitive, including the Oregon Opportunity Grant. The Federal Student Aid website states to submit FAFSA forms as soon as possible as awards are made until all funds are depleted.
The Financial Aid Office at Oregon State University updated their website to share the early release: “Current Announcements, The 2026-2027 FAFSA launched September 24, 205. File your FAFSA now!”
“Without any warning that it would be released early, it messed up some of the plans we had for communicating about the FAFSA,” FAO Student Success and Outreach Coordinator Emory Spence said in an email.
“Talking with peers at other institutions, it seems to have done the same for them as well. So, I’m not convinced that the motivation was to improve the experience for students and financial aid administrators,” Spence said.
