The longer a federal shutdown lasts, the harder it will be for local school districts, universities and the federal Education Department to provide services.

In the short term, most in the education sector will be fine because much of the funding dedicated over the summer and through Oct. 1 has gone through, creating a buffer for the worst of the effects of the shutdown.  

But the longer it takes for lawmakers to reach a deal on health care and other issues, the worse it could get.

Here’s a look at how the shutdown will affect the Education Department, student loan borrowers and other parts of the world of education. 

The Education Department has immediately furloughed 95 percent of its employees, excluding those with the Federal Student Aid Office.  

In its contingency plan, the department said in the first week services such as student aid disbursement and funding for Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will continue.  

Services that won’t continue include new grantmaking activity. Civil rights investigations also will halt, as well other regulatory actions and guidance.

This plan is only for the first week of the shutdown, with a longer closure requiring updated guidance. The longest shutdown in history was 35 days.  

But some advocates worry about affects beyond the shutdown after the Trump administration signaled it wants the government’s closure to be a catalyst for more reductions in force across the government. 

The Education Department already got cut in half earlier this year, going from 4,000 to 2,000 employees, but the president has indicated his ultimate goal is to close the federal agency entirely.

Student loans and Pell Grants mostly remain unaffected at the beginning of the shutdown, according to the department, as funding for these services is already available and mandated.  

“Important contracts and thousands of contract staff to service and collect on student loans have been pre-funded, and borrowers are expected to continue repayment throughout a shutdown,” the plan reads. 

“Other contracts needed to obligate and process payments, maintain systems necessary to disburse Pell Grants and student loan payments, and provide legal counsel to FSA and other offices have been prefunded and will continue,” it added. 

Other work related to the overhaul of the student loan system passed by Republicans this year, however, could be delayed during a shutdown.  

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms, set to launch Oct. 1, received an early launch by a week, avoiding the beginning of the federal shutdown.  

Similar to student loans, key operations for FAFSA are already funded and will continue despite limited staff. 

Students will be able to fill out the forms, and the applications will be processed.  

The Education Department said, as of last Friday, 125,000 were already in the process of completing applications.  

“Another win for the Trump Administration! The earliest FAFSA form in history launched this week, and more than 125,000 students have started their application!” the department posted on social platform X.  

Most K-12 schools will be unaffected at the shutdown’s beginning as funding has already been appropiated and made available to school officials.  

But some schools on tax-exempt land such as institutions on Native American reservations rely on Impact Aid that was taken away the second the government closed.  

“We don’t anticipate any direct impact on states or schools given the amount of funds that have already been allocated. The department has indicated that they would continue to move forward with the obligation of funds that would normally be obligated on October 1,” Christy Wolfe, director of K-12 policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, said during a press call.   

In a longer-term shutdown, the effects on schools would vary depending on how much federal government funding a district relies on; some poorer districts get 15 percent of their funding from the federal government.  

For higher education, new research funding grants will not be approved, although universities with funding already allocated will be able to continue their work.