RFI Regarding Ways to Support the Successful Completion and Submission of the 2025-2026 FAFSA Form

Request for Information (RFI) Regarding Ways To Support the Successful Completion and Submission of the 2025-2026 FAFSA Form

Dates

Suggestions and comments must be submitted no later than September 13, 2024 to ensure their consideration.

Supplementary Information

The 2024-2025 FAFSA cycle was the culmination of extraordinary changes to law and the entire FAFSA process. The passage of two bipartisan pieces of legislation-the 2019 Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act and 2020 FAFSA Simplification Act-resulted in the retirement and rebuilding of more than 20 technological systems within the agency, new Federal student aid eligibility formulas, a new data exchange that pulls tax data directly from the Internal Revenue Service into the FAFSA, and many other new requirements and innovations.

The expansive scope, development process, and timeline of simplifying the 2024-25 FAFSA has been challenging for students, families, counselors, institutions, States, and organizations that support them. To minimize disruptions and ensure a smooth experience for students, families, and institutions, the Department will not be making major changes to the 2025-26 FAFSA form, including to the question flow, data collected to make eligibility determinations, and the ISIR layout.

The Department recognizes that for every student who qualifies for Federal financial aid to have the opportunity to successfully complete the FAFSA, our partners will need effective tools and resources for both student and contributor outreach, ISIR processing, and packaging of Federal student aid. While the Department will not make substantive changes to the structure of the form in 2025-26, the Department will continue to develop tools and resources for students and families, and those that support them, including counselors and financial aid administrators, to ensure a successful 2025-26 FAFSA cycle.

With the support of institutions of higher education, K-12 schools and local educational agencies, State agencies, and college access and community organizations, more than 13 million students have submitted a 2024-25 FAFSA to date. Partner feedback and support have also contributed to improvements that have reduced error rates since the launch of the form. In our continued work with our partners, through this Request for Information (RFI), the Department solicits specific feedback on ways to improve supporting materials, including help text on the form, the creation of student and contributor tip sheets and tools, and other direct communication to ensure students and their contributors can successfully complete the 2025-26 FAFSA. The Department also seeks feedback from financial aid administrators, K-12 and postsecondary counselors, State and local educational agencies, and others on ways the Department can provide additional support to them in their work.

In conjunction with the feedback from this RFI and a series of listening sessions that the Department is conducting, the Department is developing a new Better FAFSA Better Future Roadmap. The Roadmap will outline new tools the Department is making available such as additional trainings, webinars, counselor guides, and student and contributor tip sheets.

The Department particularly seeks answers to the following questions related to FAFSA completion and aid processing:

Student and Contributor Resources

1. What informational resources or tools from the Department would most help students, families, and those who work with them better understand and navigate the FAFSA form?

2. What is the most effective way for the Department to communicate with students and contributors ( e.g., direct emails and text messages where contact information is available, social media) about the steps and actions to take to complete the FAFSA?

3. What specific questions on the FAFSA form need additional help or guidance ( e.g., revised help text, videos, tip sheets) for students or contributors to successfully complete the form?

4. What specific populations, if any, would benefit most from additional support materials, such as tip sheets? What are the best ways to communicate this additional support to these populations?

Institutions of Higher Education, K-12, State Grant Agencies, Advisors, and Other Support Organizations

1. What types of student or contributor support initiatives have you or your institution, school or school district, agency, or organization found to be most effective in supporting students and contributors to complete the FAFSA? What types of informational resources could the Department create to increase the impact of these activities?

2. What informational resources ( e.g., tip sheets, webinars, instructional videos) would be helpful for financial aid administrators at institutions and State grant agencies? Are there specific topics related to the FAFSA that could benefit from additional support from the Department ( e.g., packaging aid)?

3. What specific resources or tools would support counselors (K-12 and higher education), college access organizations, and other student support professionals to help increase rates of FAFSA completion?

The Department encourages comments from institutions of higher education, schools and school districts (including school and district leaders), State educational agencies, State higher education agencies, school counselors and college advisors, college access organizations, student support professionals, students and their families, stakeholders within the education community, and other members of the public.

This is a request for information only. This RFI is not a request for proposals (RFP) or a promise to make significant changes or adjustments to the FAFSA form. This RFI does not commit the Department to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. We are not seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. The Department will not pay for any information or administrative costs that you may incur in responding to this RFI. The documents and information submitted in response to this RFI becomes the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned.

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