By: James Bergeron, Deputy Under Secretary and Acting Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer
Each year, more than 17 million students complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, unlocking access to more than $120 billion in federal student aid and billions more in school, state, and private funding. The FAFSA form is a critical tool that helps students and families across the country pursue higher education and build better futures.
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) understands the importance of the FAFSA form, and we are committed to delivering an experience that is simple and reliable.
A New Era of Simplicity and Support
The FAFSA Simplification Act and FUTURE Act, signed into law by President Trump during his first term, were landmark, bipartisan efforts to streamline the federal financial aid process. These laws laid the groundwork for a FAFSA form that is easier to complete and more aligned with the needs of students and families.
The launch and rollout of the redesigned form in December 2023 faced significant challenges. Students experienced delays, colleges could not package aid offers on time, and more than 2 million calls to our help center were dropped before reaching an agent between January and August 2024.
Progress in 2025: An Improved FAFSA Experience
Today, the FAFSA form is in a much stronger place. Our ongoing investments are making a real difference in the lives of American students and families. As of April 11, 2025:
- 92% of users report satisfaction with the FAFSA experience
- 10 million 2025–26 forms have been submitted since the form launched in fall 2024
- 2.7 million more forms have been submitted this cycle compared to last year (39% growth), as well as 400,000 additional applications (4.3% growth) over the 2023–24 cycle, last time the form launched on Oct. 1
- 85% of questions are now resolved by our newly improved virtual assistant, Aidan.
These gains are a direct result of listening to the people who rely on the FAFSA form and responding with targeted, meaningful improvements.
What’s Next: Building Toward a Better Experience
Our goal is a FAFSA form that takes minutes—not hours—to complete. To get there, we’re investing in key areas based on feedback from students, families, and financial aid partners:
- Simplifying parent invitations: The most common frustration we hear about is the process of inviting parents to complete their portion of the FAFSA form. The Department is redesigning this process for clarity and speed, with improvements set to launch this fall.
- Fixing identity verification: The Department is working with the Social Security Administration to implement a real-time verification of identity, which will streamline data imports directly from the IRS starting this fall.
- Strengthening FAFSA stability: The dedicated civil servants behind the FAFSA form have worked tirelessly over the past several years to get to this stage. To support their efforts and improve our oversight of vendors and infrastructure, we are adding engineers and technical product managers to ensure long-term stability and responsiveness.
Continued Improvements for the FAFSA Form
The future is bright for the FAFSA form. Ten million students have already submitted a 2025–26 form. Last Thursday (a typical day with normal activity), 48,500 submitted a FAFSA form and 226,000 FAFSA records were sent to institutions of higher education and states. These numbers reflect a simple truth—the FAFSA form is working, and we are committed to making sure it keeps working for students and families.
Education changes lives, and the FAFSA form is the gateway. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and remain focused on the road ahead.
James Bergeron is the Department’s Deputy Under Secretary and Acting Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer. He is a proud University of Louisiana at Lafayette alum, and a first-generation college student.
