Reviews of this year's FAFSA says it’s ‘a lot smoother’ to complete

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is America’s gateway to billions in grants and scholarships from governments, foundations and colleges. After weeks of testing the online form for the 2025–26 academic year, the U.S. Department of Education released the official application Nov. 21.

It might not look new, but compared to last year’s version, college financial advisers say it’s certainly better.

“They were able to work out a lot of the bugs they had last year, so it should go a lot smoother,” Ron Herrell, director of financial aid at Purdue University Fort Wayne, told The Journal Gazette Tuesday. “I have filled that one out myself, and it went pretty fast. I think I had it filled out in seven minutes.”

Read more in The Journal Gazette (subscription required)