The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is live after a delay from its planned October 1 release. The Department of Education (DOE) has notified users that the form’s availability may go through moments of pauses as they work through the kinks of a new platform.
“The Department has started the soft launch of the 2024-25 FAFSA form, where the form will be available for periods of time over the coming days while we monitor site performance and respond in real time to any potential issues impacting the applicant experience,” the DOE said in a note updated on December 31.
The DOE explained that it is addressing some “minor issues” that users had been experiencing when trying to make their applications.
“During the soft launch we will be initiating pauses to the site, during which time the form will not be available while our team makes improvements,” the DOE said.
The new form was geared to help with streamlining the application process for student aid, including the more than 600,000 new applicants for the Federal Pell Grants, the government said.
The DOE advised applicants to be patient in the early days of the launch of the new form.
“Do not need to rush to fill out the form immediately when the soft launch period opens, as FSA will not transmit results to schools until later in January,” it said.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Education via email on Tuesday morning for comment.
The DOE said that should applications be confronted with a temporary pause from accessing their form, they should check back later. Applicants need not resubmit their details as their information they inserted before will be stored.
“Applicants may experience a waiting room feature, which will help control website volumes to ensure optimal performance of the form.” the DOE said. “If [Federal Student Aid] initiates site maintenance while a student or contributor is completing an application, their data is securely saved in the system as they progress through the application.”
The new FAFSA comes amid the Biden administration’s efforts to help borrowers with their student debt. Last month, the DOE announced $5 billion in student loan forgiveness, bringing the total student debt the government has canceled to $132 billion for more than 3.6 million Americans.
American student borrowers have begun to pay back their education debt, starting with interest payments in September and with reimbursements on the principal kicking in October after a pause during the pandemic.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.