U.S. Department of Education Celebrates More Than 10 Million FAFSA® Forms Complete and Additional Transparency Measures

Today, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) celebrates that more than 10 million 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) forms have been successfully completed by students and parents and processed by Federal Student Aid. This represents a 17 percent and 487 percent increase on the number of applications completed at this point in time during the last two cycles, respectively. This milestone follows the earliest FAFSA form launch in history, reversing years of mismanagement and delay by the Biden Administration.

In addition, on March 22, the Department updated the data powering the College Scorecard and the FAFSA form's earnings indicator, giving students and families clear, easy-to-understand information about a school's post-graduation earnings and their potential financial outcomes. To further support these transparency efforts, the Department also enhanced the College Scorecard's search function, allowing students, families, and college administrators to compare student outcomes by field of study. These efforts align with the Trump Administration's goal of providing critical information earlier in the college exploration process in a format that is accessible and easy to understand.

"Following the earliest FAFSA launch in history, the Trump Administration continues to deliver historic and timely updates to the form - ensuring that students and families can make informed decisions while applying for financial aid," said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. "The College Scorecard and earnings indicator will help drive informed decision-making before students take on thousands of dollars of debt, and support families in accessing critical resources as they begin or continue their postsecondary education journey."

Modernized Features and Improvement to the FAFSA Form

This announcement comes as the Department continues advancing major improvements to the FAFSA experience, making the process faster and more transparent for students and families than ever before.

• Redesigned Contributor Invite Process: Students can now invite a parent or contributor to complete their portion of the FAFSA form by sharing a personalized code.

• Fraud Prevention: The Department reversed years of the Biden Administration's negligence to identify and eliminate FAFSA fraud, saving federal taxpayers over $1 billion last year.

• Ease of Renewal: In the upcoming 2027-28 FAFSA form, students' data will be pre-populated from previous FAFSA forms, streamlining submission for returning students.

Updates to the College Scorecard and Earnings Indicator

The Department also updated the data powering the College Scorecard, a digital tool that enables students and families to compare higher education institutions using key outcome measures. This update includes new earnings data for students four years after graduation, covering the 2017-18 and 2018-19 completion cohorts, as well as updated information on graduation rates, cost, and more.

The earnings indicator is part of the Department's broader strategy to enhance transparency in higher education and ensure students and their families have access to actionable information about postsecondary outcomes and value. Since launching the indicator in December 2025, approximately 25 percent of students who were presented with the low earnings flag removed the school and updated their form with another school. The Department emphasizes that the earnings indicator is meant to inform, not limit, student choices. Students and families should have the data they need to assess return on investment before making postsecondary education choices, including metrics detailing expected earnings, total cost, mission, and location. This data refresh marks the first comprehensive update since the Trump Administration launched the earnings indicator late last year.

On-Track to Launch the 2027-28 FAFSA Form

The Department is on track to release the 2027-28 FAFSA form by October 1, continuing its commitment to predictable and timely application availability for students, families, and institutions.

Students and families can complete the FAFSA form and learn more at StudentAid.gov.