Education Dept. Opens Up FAFSA Beta Test to All
The full version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is scheduled to launch Oct. 1.
Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | SimoneN/iStock/Getty Images
All students can now access a beta version of the 2026–27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the Department of Education announced Wednesday.
The grant application platform won’t officially launch until Oct. 1, the congressionally mandated FAFSA launch deadline, but for the 12 days between now and then, students and families can start their application by participating in the test model.
“We’re using this time to monitor a limited number of FAFSA submissions to ensure our systems are performing as expected,” the department’s Federal Student Aid website explains. “This is a common practice in website and software development.”
The first round of beta testing was opened to a limited number of students in early August. Students who submit their form during the test will only have to submit it once, the department website states.
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