2025-26 FAFSA Beta Testing Phases 2-4 - Student

2025– 26 FAFSA® Beta Student Sign-Up Form

Thank you for your interest in participating in the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Beta! You are playing a valuable part in ensuring the success of the 2025–26 FAFSA form.

Learn more about the Beta.

This form will ask for details related to you and your contributors’ StudentAid.gov accounts. Before you sign up to participate, make sure the following steps are complete:

1. You have created a StudentAid.gov account.

If not, you can create an account.

2. You have identified your contributors (other people who may need to contribute information on your FAFSA form, like your parent[s], stepparent, or spouse).  
   To learn if you’re dependent or independent, confirm your dependency status. To understand who to list as a contributor, follow our online guide.
   
   
   

3. Your contributor(s) (i.e. parent[s], stepparent, or spouse) have created a StudentAid.gov account.

You will need the email addresses associated with their account(s) to participate in the Beta.

Once you have completed all steps, you're ready to sign up!

Note that any incorrect or incomplete data provided on the form may prevent you from participating in the Beta.

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), authorizes the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to ask the questions set forth in this form.

Purpose: We use the information collected on this form to verify that applicants and, where applicable, contributors have valid StudentAid.gov accounts (also known as an FSA ID) accounts for the purposes of confirming applicant eligibility to participate in a beta testing program for the 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). Participation in this beta testing will allow student applicants the ability to submit an official 2025–26 FAFSA form, including information from a contributor, as applicable, for purposes of applying for Title IV, HEA program funds; and the Department the ability to test the effectiveness of the 2025–26 FAFSA form prior to its release to the broader public.

Routine Uses: The information collected on this form will only be disclosed outside of the Department with prior written consent or as otherwise allowed by the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (Privacy Act) (5 U.S.C. 552a). The Privacy Act’s requirement for prior written consent has an exception for the “routine uses” that the Department publishes in our System of Records Notices (SORNs). The Department may disclose, without consent, the information collected on this form pursuant to the routine uses identified in the “Aid Awareness and Application Processing (AAAP)” (18-11-21) SORN, which was last published in full in the Federal Register on May 30, 2024 (89 FR 46870), and the “Person Authentication Service (PAS)” (18-11-12), which was last published in full in the Federal Register on July 28, 2023 (88 FR 48817). Both documents are available on the Department’s “Privacy Act System of Record Notice Issuances (SORN)” webpage. These routine uses include the following: If the Department contracts with an entity for the purposes of performing any function that requires disclosure of information collected on this form to employees of the contractor, the Department may disclose the information to those employees. As part of such contract, the Department shall require the contractor to agree to establish and maintain safeguards to protect the security and confidentiality of the disclosed information.

Consequences of Failure to Provide Information: Providing information on this form is strictly voluntary; however, if not enough information is provided to confirm an applicant’s and any contributor’s StudentAid.gov account, the applicant will not be able to participate in the beta testing. (Note: The applicant will still be able to submit a FAFSA form when the application opens to the general public by Dec. 1, 2024. There is no adverse impact to the student on determinations regarding eligibility for financial aid based on not participating in the beta test.)

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1845-NEW. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average five minutes, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering, and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to the Federal Student Aid Information Center, P.O. Box 84, Washington, D.C. 20044. (Note: Do not return the completed form to this address.)

______________________________[page break]___________________________

Student Information

First, please visit the website and sign in to your StudentAid.gov account.

1. [Required] Student first name

2. [Required] Student email address

Please make sure that this is the email associated with your StudentAid.gov account. An incorrect email may disqualify you from participating in the Beta.

______________________________[page break]___________________________

Dependency Status

[Required, radio] 1. Are you an independent student?

• Yes

• No

[Helper Text] You are an independent student if you are any of the following:

• born before Jan. 1, 2002

• married

• a graduate/professional student

• a veteran or a member of the U.S. armed forces

• an orphan, a ward of the court, or a current or former foster youth

• someone who is or was in a legal guardianship

• someone with legal dependents (not a spouse)

• an emancipated minor

• someone who is or at risk of being homeless
  
  
  

[If Yes ->]

[Required, radio] 2. Please select the statement that best describes you for the 2025–26 school year.

If you’re independent, you only have a contributor if you have a spouse and you don’t file taxes together.

• I’m an independent student with no contributors.

• I’m an independent student with a spouse contributor.

[If No à ]

[Required, radio] 2. Please select the statement that best describes you for the 2025–26 school year.

In most cases, if your parents file their taxes jointly you will only need to include one parent on your form as a contributor. Find out which parent(s)/stepparent to list as contributor.

Note: You cannot have more than two parent contributors.

• I’m a dependent student with one parent contributor.

• I’m a dependent student with two parent contributors.

[If selected “I’m an independent with no contributors” -> submit page]

[Otherwise -> contributor information page.]

______________________________[page break]___________________________

Contributor Information

Remember that contributors are other people who may need to provide information on your FAFSA form, like your parent(s), stepparent, or spouse.

Before proceeding, make sure your contributor(s) have successfully created their StudentAid.gov account(s), verified their email addresses, and can log in.

[If independent with spouse or one parent à

Contributor 1

3. [Required, Single line text] Contributor 1 first name
   
   
   

4. [Required, Single line text] Contributor 1 email address

Please ensure that this is the email associated with this contributor’s StudentAid.gov account. An incorrect email may disqualify you from participating in the Beta.

[If two parents also show:]

Contributor 2

5. [Required, Single line text] Contributor 2 first name

6. [Required, Single line text] Contributor 2 email address

Please ensure that this is the email associated with this contributor’s StudentAid.gov account. An incorrect email may disqualify you from participating in the Beta.

______________________________[page break]___________________________

Consent

You have now completed the form. Please click “Finish” to submit.

By submitting this form, you consent to receiving email communications about the Beta.

> Finish

Thank you for signing up to participate in the 2025–26 FAFSA Beta!

Within two weeks, you’ll receive an email notifying you of whether you’ve been selected to participate. If you don’t receive an email, please check your spam folder.