ED Begins Beta Testing 2026-27 FAFSA
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
Earlier this week, the Department of Education (ED) began the beta testing process for the 2026-27 FAFSA, according to an official at the department.
Aaron Lemon-Strauss, executive director of the FAFSA program, wrote via LinkedIn that beta testing for the 2026-27 FAFSA began earlier this week. The form is now being made available for the first round of beta testers. During this period, ED will test the form with a small number of students and families through existing partnerships with community organizations, schools, and other groups.
Over the next few weeks, Lemon-Strauss wrote, the 2026-27 FAFSA will go through the first round of beta testing. He noted that the FAFSA will become available to the public for beta testing by early September after the first round of testing. This stage of beta testing will allow applicants to request access, though not everyone who requests access will be invited to join.
Along with the launch of beta testing, the 2026-27 FAFSA prototype became available, which is meant to serve as a tool that allows users to navigate specific scenarios that FAFSA applicants will encounter on the live website. Instructions to access the prototype are available online.
The form will be officially launched and available to everyone by October 1, now mandated by law. In the lead-up to the official launch, ED must certify to Congress by September 1 that the FAFSA will be ready by October 1.
“As we celebrate this milestone, we also push forward—building a FAFSA that truly meets the evolving needs of students, families, and schools,” Lemon-Strauss wrote. “Thank you to the remarkable team who made this possible, and to the entire community for staying engaged and pushing us to deliver better every day.”
According to ED, starting in August, all institutions – even if they are not participating in beta testing – may begin to receive a small number of 2026-27 ISIRs via the FTI-Student Aid Internet Gateway. Institutions are not expected to do anything with these ISIRs before their normal awarding cycle begins.
In his LinkedIn post, Lemon-Strauss noted that ED is focusing on boosting FAFSA completion rates, improving tools for financial aid administrators, and modernizing the FAFSA processes.
Publication Date: 8/7/2025
Nicole B | 8/7/2025 8:12:45 AM
Hello - thank you for bringing this to our attention. Does the following statement mean that even if a 2026-27 ISIR is selected for V4 or V5 that we do not have to delay unpaid prior year (i.e. 2025-2026) disbursements of aid? "Institutions are not expected to do anything with these ISIRs before their normal awarding cycle begins."
Or, because we have these ISIRs available to be in our possession, if they are selected for identity verification, we need to complete that verification before we can disburse prior year(s) aid?
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