By Eliza Haverstock, NerdWallet

The 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is open to all students as of Nov. 18 — and you should submit it as soon as possible if you think you might be in college next year.

The FAFSA unlocks all federal student aid, including student loans, need-based Pell Grants, work-study and even some private scholarships. Colleges use the form to build financial aid offers for students. There’s no income limit to qualify for aid.

The release is earlier than expected; the Education Department previously said it would open the FAFSA to all students by Dec. 1, 2024. It comes after nearly two months of limited FAFSA beta testing, during which time the form was open to select groups of students in phases.

This was a strategy to avoid last year’s chaotic FAFSA rollout, which was marked by major technical glitches and processing delays as the Education Department struggled to implement the simplified 2024-25 FAFSA form. As a result, FAFSA completion dropped 8.8% among last year’s high school seniors from the year prior, per the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), a nonprofit member organization that aims to increase higher education access.

This year, it’s so far, so good. Roughly 14,000 students submitted the 2025-26 FAFSA during the limited beta test period, 95% of whom reported being satisfied with the form, according to the Education Department.

“All in all, we think there’s going to be a much smoother user experience for students and families as they get ready to complete the form,” says MorraLee Keller, senior consultant at NCAN.

If you or someone in your family will be in college next year, here’s what you need to know about the latest FAFSA release.

Steps for first-time FAFSA filers

High school seniors and other students thinking about enrolling in college next fall should submit the 2025-26 FAFSA to qualify for federal student loans and other types of aid.

Start by requesting a FSA ID

Go to studentaid.gov to request your FSA ID, which is the username and password combination you’ll need to log into your federal student aid account. It can take up to three days for you to receive your FSA ID after applying for it, so you’ll need to do this ahead of starting the FAFSA.

Determine who might be a ‘contributor’

Depending on your dependency status, a parent or spouse may also need to submit information to your FAFSA as a “contributor.” Each contributor will need to request their own FSA ID. Check studentaid.gov to see who might be a contributor for you.

Gather necessary documents

Before starting the form, take a few minutes to gather the required FAFSA documents. These may include tax returns and Social Security numbers for you and your parents.

Submit the form by priority deadlines to get the most aid possible

Check the financial aid priority deadlines of your target schools, and make sure you submit your completed FAFSA before the earliest deadline. Meeting this deadline ensures you can qualify for the most financial aid possible. Some types of institutional aid, like work-study and supplemental need-based grants, come from a limited pool, and students who meet priority deadlines are more likely to receive this aid.

Check your submission summary and other financial aid forms

A few days after you submit your FAFSA, log into your studentaid.gov account to check for your FAFSA Submission Summary. It will appear in the “My Activity” section of your dashboard once the Education Department processes your FAFSA and sends it to the schools you selected.

Check to see that all information is correct and make any necessary corrections. The summary will also include your Student Aid Index, a measure that colleges use to determine your aid package.

You might need to submit other financial aid forms, too. Check to see if your state has a separate financial aid form. If you are applying to highly selective colleges, you may also need to submit the CSS Profile.

Returning students who submitted the FAFSA last year

The updated FAFSA has the same questions as last year, though some instructions have been improved for clarity, Keller says. Be sure to submit the 2025-26 form; you must resubmit the FAFSA each year you’re in college. Most people complete the FAFSA in less than an hour, according to the Education Department.

“Federal Student Aid has worked hard to enhance the form, and we think [returning students] will have a much smoother process this year,” Keller says. “So we don’t want them to shy away from the form.”

Check that your contact information is up to date in your studentaid.gov account. You and your parents may get an email from the Education Department reminding you to fill out the 2025-26 FAFSA. You can log into the FAFSA with the same FSA ID you used last year.

Where to get FAFSA help

Current high school students can reach out to their guidance counselor for FAFSA help. Many high schools also offer “FAFSA nights” where students and parents can get their questions answered by experts.

If you’re already in college, your school’s financial aid office can help with FAFSA questions.

You can also call the government’s Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. Keller says this FAFSA helpline is running much more smoothly.

“Last year, calls were hung up on or never got answered. The wait times were extensive,” Keller says. But this year, “they have almost doubled the volume of staff that they have at the center.”

FAFSA workaround for parents who don’t have SSNs

U.S. citizen students with undocumented parents faced major technical issues on last year’s FAFSA, leaving many unable to start or submit the form and receive financial aid. For the 2025-26 FAFSA, the Education Department is using the same workaround it introduced last spring, which allows students to access the form before their parents’ identity-validation process is complete.

Detailed instructions for this workaround can be found on studentaid.gov.

Will Trump impact the 2025-26 FAFSA?

Though president-elect Donald Trump could change the student loan system significantly, he won’t likely have a major impact on the current FAFSA, Keller says.

“I think the FAFSA process for ‘25-26 is fairly set and probably will not be impacted,” Keller says. “What is in the future for aid programs and the process? We’ll have to take the wait and see attitude.”

Eliza Haverstock writes for NerdWallet. Email: ehaverstock@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @elizahaverstock.

The article The FAFSA Is Now Open. Submit ASAP To Get Free Money for College originally appeared on NerdWallet.