We are pleased to share the prototype for the online 2027–28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. The prototype provides a partial preview of the online form. Financial aid administrators, counselors, and mentors can familiarize themselves with the form by navigating through common applicant scenarios.
The prototype is an interactive tool that lets a user see and interact with most of the pages of the online 2027–28 FAFSA form.
It is not a FAFSA demonstration site or complete replica of the 2027–28 FAFSA form, which is still in development. This prototype may vary slightly from the form that will be available on fafsa.gov by October 1, 2026. For example, helper text might be absent or differ.
We’ll update the prototype periodically to reflect changes made to the actual FAFSA form.
To access the 2027–28 FAFSA prototype:
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Enter the access code: prototype2728
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Read the information about using the 2027–28 FAFSA prototype. Select "View FAFSA Preview."
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Select any of the available user scenarios for a student, parent, or spouse contributor from the 2027–28 FAFSA prototype landing page.
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Select responses to advance through pages of the form. The prototype will tell you if you must select specific responses to move forward. It will also tell you if certain responses or links are unavailable.
The FAFSA prototype demonstrates how to:
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start, sign, and submit a new FAFSA form as a student or parent;
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complete, sign, and submit an in-progress application as a student, parent, or spouse; and
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correct a submitted application for common issues, like adding a missing signature.
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Refer to the 2027-28 FAFSA Prototype Tip Sheet attachment below for basic instructions for finding specific scenarios.
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Use the 2027–28 FAFSA Preview Presentation for step-by-step directions for common user scenarios.
The prototype's functionality is limited as follows:
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It doesn't store data.
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It doesn't simulate interactions with systems that the real FAFSA form interacts with. For example, it doesn't interact with IRS or email systems.
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It doesn't calculate a Student Aid Index, allow field and page edits, or validate data.
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Some functions that are usually interactive, like search, are for display only.
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Users can enter any name in city or school name search fields but can only select sample city and school names.
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Fields with dropdown menus of options may not work as expected.
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Accessibility features may not work as expected.
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Tooltips for questions and other help resources that appear on the actual FAFSA form may not be present.
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The prototype has desktop and mobile views, but doesn't adjust to the size of a browser window or device.
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Some pages may load slowly.
If you have questions or feedback about the FAFSA prototype, email FSA_FAFSA_Team@ed.gov.
Attachment
The U.S. Department of Education strives to make all content accessible to everyone. While these documents do not currently meet the standards of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, Federal Student Aid is working to create accessible versions. If you need access to these documents before the accessible version is available, please contact the Information Technology Accessibility Program Help Desk at ITAPSupport@ed.gov to help facilitate.