The US Senate unanimously passed the FAFSA Deadline Act on Thursday, less than a week after the The House adopted it unanimously. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk. The bill would require the Department of Education to initiate the federal aid form by October 1 of each year; currently the deadline is January 1st.

While most years the FAFSA was released around October 1, the last two years it was delayed. Last cycle, a Congressionally mandated overhaul of the form led to months of delays and setbacks, disrupt the financial aid cycle And bother families to seek the necessary help. This year, the Ministry of Education set the launch date on December 1 in order to test form and try to avoid a similar debacle; it’s officially released the 2025-2026 FAFSA Thursday morning, a week before the scheduled date.

“No student should have their dreams threatened because of bureaucratic incompetence,” said Dr. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican and ranking member of the Senate Education Committee, which sponsored the bill. “This common-sense bill holds the Department of Education accountable and ensures students have the financial information they need to choose the best affordable college option for them.”

On a press call Thursday, a senior department official said he “did not have a position” on the Deadline Act, but added that after two years of delays, he did not foresee any problems for the publication of the FAFSA 2026-2027 on October 1, 2025.

When the invoice advanced from the House Education and Workforce Committee In July, some Democrats and college access advocates warned against legally imposing an exit date in case it forced the department to launch the FAFSA before it was ready, as many say it in 2024-2025.