More students completed the 2026-27 FAFSA as of late December – at a rate more than double the previous year, according to the Department of Education.
In a recent press release, the Department announced that more than 5 million 2026-27 FAFSA forms have been successfully submitted by students and families, an increase of almost 150% from the same time last year.
The increased completion rate follows one of the earliest launches of the FAFSA in late September 2025 and corrections and updates that reduced the number or errors and simplified some of the FAFSA processes.
In addition to the 2026-27 FAFSA form being launched earlier than ever, the Department said it continues to utilize user feedback to enhance and improve the form, adding that more than 96% of respondents reported satisfaction with the form and 91% stated the form took a reasonable amount of time to complete. A successful beta testing period also helped refine the FAFSA prior to releasing it to the public, according to the Department.
In addition to the updates and corrections, the Department recently launched a new transparency initiative which provides students and families with key financial earnings data that they can use to make decisions about institutions they are considering.
More information about the FAFSA form is available at fafsa.gov/fafsacentral.
