when does the fafsa officially open each year?

The FAFSA officially opens on October 1 each year for most school years. However, for the 2024-2025 school year, the FAFSA opening was delayed and became available on December 31, 2023. For the 2025-2026 school year, the FAFSA is expected to open on or before December 1, 2024, with a phased rollout starting October 1, 2024, for beta testing before public availability. After this period of adjustment, the FAFSA is intended to return to the regular October 1 opening date starting with the 2026-2027 school year and beyond. Thus, generally, FAFSA opens October 1 annually, but there are exceptions and delays in recent years for testing and improvements.