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FAFSA Form for 2024-25 Opening in Expanded Hours

The new FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which was recently launched online, has been gradually becoming more accessible to the public. Initially available for only 30 minutes, the application is now open for 12 hours a day, providing more students and their families with a better opportunity to complete this crucial financial form.

The Department of Education has extended the hours of the 2024-2025 financial aid form each day. On December 30, the first day of the soft launch, and December 31, the form was available for only 30 minutes. On January 1, it was open for two hours, and on January 2, it was open for six hours. The current schedule allows access from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. This expanded availability has resulted in over half a million complete submissions as of 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Availability of the New FAFSA Form

The new FAFSA form will continue to be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET on Friday, January 5, following the same schedule as the previous day. This provides students and their families with a consistent timeframe to access the application and seek assistance from call centers.

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Number of Completed FAFSA Forms

By 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, the Department of Education had received over half a million successful submissions of the new FAFSA form. Additionally, there may be some applications still in progress, where users have completed their portion of the form and are awaiting contributions from others.

Expected Number of FAFSA Submissions

During the 2020-21 application cycle, approximately 18 million FAFSAs were submitted based on Federal Student Aid data. With the new FAFSA form featuring fewer questions and expanded eligibility for federal student aid, including Pell Grants that don’t require repayment, the number of submissions is expected to increase. The Department of Education states that the simplified form can be completed in under 10 minutes for some applicants once they gain access.

Tips for Using the Federal Student Aid Site

Tip: If you are on the Federal Student Aid site and have to wait, do not leave the site. You are likely in a “waiting room,” which allows the Department to manage site volume and capacity.

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.