Applying for college financial aid was never easy. But the botched rollout of the federal financial aid form last year added to the headaches. And now, the Education Department has announced that the form for the 2025-26 school year will be delayed by two months.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, is expected to be ready by Dec. 1. The department has said the delay will allow officials to test the latest version of the online form to avoid the myriad problems that plagued the FAFSA for the current academic year.