EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration has announced plans to roll out the most efficient and earliest Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in history for the 2026-2027 school year.
The FAFSA form is currently online, and applicants can finish the process in minutes, the administration said.
So far, more than 40,000 students have completed the new application.
A Department of Education spokesperson said the FAFSA process under the Biden administration could take more than three days to complete. The Trump administration has made streamlining the form a priority, calling it a correction to what it described as the previous administration’s botched rollout.
The Trump administration announced it will roll out the most efficient and earliest Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in history for the 2026-2027 school year. (Getty Images)
"After years of mismanagement under the previous administration’s leadership, the Trump administration prioritized accessibility and technical expertise to deliver the form for American students and families at a historic pace," the Department of Education said.
The Trump administration’s implementation of the new FAFSA process followed a beta model that launched on Aug. 3. After several test runs across the country, the department determined the form was ready to go live Tuesday.
User feedback showed that 97% of respondents reported satisfaction with the FAFSA form and 90% said it took a reasonable time to complete.
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Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that no one thought making the FAFSA form easier to do and launching earlier than usual would be possible. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that no one thought making the FAFSA form easier to do and launching earlier than usual was achievable.
"I am extremely proud to announce the earliest launch of the FAFSA form in history, which ensures American students and families have access to critical resources as they begin or continue their postsecondary education journey," McMahon said.
"No one would have thought this was possible after the Biden administration infamously botched FAFSA’s rollout two short years ago. Under President Trump’s leadership, our talented team has redesigned and streamlined the process, so all American students can now successfully complete the form in minutes."
In December 2020, Congress passed the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act and FUTURE Act to streamline the federal student aid application process for students.
Since the Trump administration’s first-term efforts in 2020, it has advanced the initiative further.
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(Despite efforts to streamline the FAFSA process, students were left waiting for months to know how much they would receive in financial aid.)
Despite efforts to streamline the FAFSA process, students last year were left waiting for months to know how much they would receive in financial aid. The delays left seniors waiting months for aid decisions, forcing many colleges to push back priority admissions deadlines.
In March, the administration announced an improvement in FAFSA applications submitted and processed compared to results under the Biden administration.
It touted more than 8 million FAFSA forms being successfully submitted and processed, a 50% increase over the number of applications submitted compared to the numbers in spring last year.
A spokesperson for former President Joe Biden did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.