Federal Student Aid

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Welcome to FAFSA® Central!

The U.S. Department of Education is committed to keeping institutions of higher education, state agencies, school districts, community organizations, and other key partners informed about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. FAFSA Central provides timely updates about the form, beta testing, availability of support resources, submission metrics, and more.

Note: All critical policy and operational updates will continue to be posted through Electronic Announcements on the Knowledge Center.

FAFSA Product Updates

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Click below to view a running record of monthly product updates, bug fixes, system improvements, and reprocessing efforts related to the FAFSA form, its processing, and the FAFSA Partner Portal.

Recent updates:

  • Oct. 26 release summary
  • Sept. 21 release summary
  • Sept. 5 reprocessing update

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Common questions and answers about FAFSA Central, beta testing, and more.

2026–27 FAFSA Submission Stats

2026-27 FAFSA Form Completion Data:

  • 2,650,479 applications started
  • 1,792,875 applications submitted
  • 1,717,067 applications processed
  • 1,661,184 applications processed without rejection

2026-27 FAFSA Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs):

  • 6,515,812 ISIRs sent to institutions of higher education
  • 2,429,278 ISIRs sent to states
  • 5,354 unique institutions

2026-27 FAFSA User Survey Results:

  • 96% are satisfied with the FAFSA form
  • 91% felt the FAFSA form took a reasonable time to complete

Data as of Oct. 21