We are pleased to provide the initial installment of the 2026–27 FAFSA Specifications Guide: the Microsoft Excel version of the 2026–27 Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) record layout. We provide the ISIR record layout in spreadsheet format for users who prefer this format. The layout will also be part of Volume 4A – Record Layouts when it is released later this year.
The FAFSA Specifications Guide is designed to meet the reference needs of financial aid administrators, programmers, and data processing staff who want to incorporate electronic Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) functionality into their institutional systems. It includes FAFSA-related processing information and guidance in a multi-volume resource.
For the 2026–27 processing cycle, we will post volumes of the FAFSA Specifications Guide throughout 2025, beginning with this Microsoft Excel version of the 2026–27 ISIR record layout and continuing with the Introduction, Volumes 4A, 4B, 5, and 9 in May 2025. Additional volumes will be released in August and September 2025.
Note: Revised versions of volumes may be posted throughout the processing cycle to implement new requirements or address issues in earlier published drafts. To assist in tracking these changes, a “Change History Table” is included in each volume that outlines all changes made to a volume over time.
Contact Information
If you have questions regarding this message, please contact the FPS Help Desk at 1-800-330-5947 or by email at support@fps.ed.gov. The FPS Help Desk provides customer service for the FAFSA Processing System (FPS), the Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG), and the EDExpress for Windows software.