The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is live for the 2026-27 school year, even as the government shutdown continues.
Why It Matters
Prospective and current college students are encouraged to submit their FAFSA as soon as possible to qualify for all available aid before it runs out. The FAFSA application helps qualify millions of students each year for scholarships, grants and loans at private and public schools alike.
Despite the shutdown, the Education Department said it will continue to process FAFSA.
Is FAFSA Affected by the Government Shutdown?
FAFSA allows students to qualify for financial aid based on their families and their own financial information. This year’s application opened September 24, a week before the anticipated October 1 launch, and it remains unaffected by the government shutdown.
“The good news is the FAFSA opened ahead of schedule this year, so students and parents can still complete the form as usual despite the government shutdown,” Sravani Atluri, chief marketing officer at Edvisors, told Newsweek.
“Most of the processing behind the scenes is automated, and the system went through several months of beta testing before launch, which helps limit disruptions. The Department of Education has said that essential operations, such as FAFSA processing and aid disbursement, will continue.”
What’s the Chance That a FAFSA Applicant Will Get Financial Aid?
The exact amount of a student’s awarded financial aid will vary by school, but the FAFSA is essential for determining eligibility for federal student aid programs like work-study and loans.
The federal student aid estimator is available online to get an early prediction of your financial package.
“FAFSA is open and processing applications normally despite the government shutdown, but 87 percent of the Department of Education’s workforce is furloughed. That’s not a problem yet…But if this drags on, it becomes one tomorrow,” Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek.
“The real risk isn’t whether you can submit the form. It’s what happens when something goes wrong and there’s nobody to fix it. Federal aid runs on existing approved funding, so Pell Grants and Direct Loans keep flowing. But if you hit a technical snag or need to resolve a verification issue? You’re stuck with skeleton staff.”
What Information Does the FAFSA Submission Summary Include?
To apply, you must create a studentaid.gov account and have your Social Security number, driver’s license, tax returns, bank statements and records of untaxed income ready.
All dependent students must also input the financial information of at least one parent, but they can usually easily retrieve tax return information from the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
What People Are Saying
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “Fortunately, despite the government shutdown, FAFSA has opened its application process for this year, and the best advice is to always complete it sooner rather than later. The application can unlock not just federal financial aid opportunities, but also be a prerequisite for some state-based aid, as well, depending on where you live. Getting your application in early gives you a clearer understanding of how much aid you could be receiving and will help families financially plan for the college process.”
Sravani Atluri, chief marketing officer at Edvisors, told Newsweek: “The biggest thing families should be aware of right now is that if the website experiences a technical issue, fixes could take longer than usual because many federal employees are furloughed. So, if you do experience an error, document it, save your confirmation page, and reach out to your school’s financial aid office; they can often help troubleshoot or guide you on next steps.”
Finance expert Michael Ryan told Newsweek: “The past two FAFSA cycles were already disasters. Forms [were] delayed until late December, causing colleges to push back decision days and applications to drop. If this shutdown extends past a few weeks and we see processing backlogs build, we could see April aid packages turning into May uncertainty. I know way too many families who made panic decisions last year about college affordability.”
Drew Powers, the founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek: “Many folks do not realize the FAFSA is used for so much more than traditional student loans, and too many skip this step believing their student will never qualify for aid. The FAFSA is not only used for 4-year college loans, but also many certificate programs in trade and technical schools. This is an important step for any graduate or future graduate who may have any possibility of continuing in any educational pursuit beyond high school. For higher-income-earning families, it should be noted that many merit-based scholarships also require a FAFSA.”
What Happens Next
The FAFSA must be submitted by June 30, 2027, but specific institutions may have earlier deadlines.
“At this point, the shutdown hasn’t stopped students from applying for aid or schools from receiving federal funds. That’s the reassuring part,” Atluri said. But it slows the system’s ability to respond quickly if something breaks or needs to be updated.
In the long term, updates to student aid related to new laws or court decisions could be delayed by the government shutdown, Atluri said.
“If the shutdown drags on, backlogs could grow and policy updates could stall. That creates uncertainty for students who are already navigating a complicated process. The best advice is to complete your FAFSA now, stay in touch with your school, and keep records of any issues you run into.”
