'We've simplified it': Education Department rolls out FAFSA form earlier than ever before

The Department of Education is launching the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) earlier than ever before -- a change it says will help families navigate the rising cost of college amid affordability concerns.

The department's early rollout is welcome news for the millions of American families eager to receive financial aid for the 2027-2028 school year.

The critical resource is used to help applicants achieve funding for higher education and department officials are touting the FAFSA as its simplest version ever.

"We've simplified it," Department of Education Under Secretary for Higher Education Nicholas Kent said ahead of the launch in an exclusive interview with ABC News. "Instead of it taking hours or even days to fill out, it takes 15 minutes on average," he said.

The form goes live on studentaid.gov this morning. The major changes include clearer, less complicated language that removes "confusing jargon," and a family friendly form that allows students to invite a contributor via text or email, according to the department.

In a statement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told ABC News that the new form was redesigned with students and families in mind.

Kent urged families to complete the improved form because it bolsters resources for low and middle income households worried about the cost of college.

"We don't want students leaving money on the table," Kent told ABC News. "There's a lot of money out there in higher education. We want students to take advantage of it. And it starts with filling out the FAFSA form."

This is the second year in a row the agency has launched its FAFSA form before Oct. 1, which is the mandated rollout deadline set by the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020.

Last year, the FAFSA form rolled out on Sept. 24.

During the final weeks of President Donald Trump's first term, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020. This law overhauled the program and expanded access to federal aid, including federal Pell Grants, which are used specifically for low-income borrowers.

Kent stressed that the Trump administration is prioritizing policies that students and families deserve when deciding their futures.

"There are a few things that the Department of Education is really responsible for doing: One of them is getting the FAFSA form up and running," Kent said.

"We want students and families to be able to access this form, complete it easily, and get the financial aid that they need to get on with their lives," he added.

The announcement comes after a severely delayed FAFSA launch under Biden in 2023 and on the heels of the Trump administration's attempts to overhaul other aspects of higher education.

The administration also made a major shakeup to the federal student loan system this summer -- issuing fewer repayment plans and borrowing limits -- affecting millions of people. Critics contend that some Americans -- especially lower-income borrowers -- will face higher monthly payments from the new student loan caps.

The department argued that its loan limits from the Working Families Tax Cuts Act have curbed excessive borrowing, forcing institutions to evaluate their costs and lower them in some cases.

Though some higher education leaders suggest college costs have stabilized, a September 2025 Pew Research Center poll found 6 in 10 U.S. adults (60%) said colleges and universities were doing a poor job of keeping tuition affordable.

Meanwhile, higher education experts contend that reforming college access crosses political lines and the efforts to simplify the FAFSA have been "incremental" for more than a decade.

Kyla Hurns, a higher education policy analyst at The Education Trust, called FAFSA the "gateway" to postsecondary education but she worries that changing the system doesn't fully tackle college costs.

"While it's super important to fix the FAFSA as a form, it only truly can achieve its goal of allowing every American to choose the pathway that works best for them if Pell Grant keeps up with inflation," Hurns said.

She concluded that affordability is still families' prime concern.

"FAFSA allows us to talk about the conversation to maybe fund a portion of [college], but it's not funding all of the kids' education anymore," Hurns told ABC News.

"That's still something that is a problem that states across the country are grappling with, that families are grappling with, that students are grappling with, and I think that's determining their decisions."