KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Free Application for Federal Student Aid opened earlier than anticipated this year, marking a significant improvement from previous years when students and families encountered delays and technical issues with the application process.
On September 24, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the 2026-27 FAFSA form is now open, a full week ahead of the planned release date of October 1.
This represents a stark contrast to previous years following the launch of the newly designed forms, which caused widespread glitches and delays for students seeking financial aid.
"Everything seems to be moving smoother than it has in the past several years," said Tamara Reece, director of student financial aid at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
The improved rollout comes at a crucial time for students on both sides of the state line.
In Missouri, the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development encourages students to file their FAFSA before February 2, 2026, to be considered for the most financial aid available.
"The FAFSA is an important first step to applying for grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans that help provide Missourians more affordable access to degrees or short-term training certificates," said Dr. Bennett Boggs, Commissioner of the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development in a press release.
The stakes are high for students like Joshua Amedanou and Kennedi Crockett, both of whom depend on financial aid to attend college at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
"I knew that at least if I was in college, I could get help and find things I enjoy doing," Amedanou said.
For Crockett, a Kansas City, Kansas native studying business, financial aid is essential.
"Financial aid for me was definitely a must because I wouldn't be able to attend school without it," Crockett said. “It was important for me because a lot of people in my family have tried to go to college, but because of circumstances, they never got to finish it. So with an opportunity like this given to me, I feel like I absolutely had to take it.”
Amedanou and Crockett graduated from Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, a school they say equipped them with necessary tools to complete the FAFSA when graduating high school.
"That was shockingly a lot easier than I thought," Crockett said.
The FAFSA serves as the primary method for determining a student's eligibility for federal and state aid.
In Missouri, eligible students who complete the FAFSA before February 2 will receive funding through Access Missouri, a need-based grant that assisted over 44,000 students during 2025.
Last year, Missouri provided $163 million in financial aid to nearly 66,000 students.
The overall process has shown marked improvement despite challenges last year.
Reece says a lot of those came from small mistakes, the kind families should still pay attention to this year.
"While applying for FAFSA, I did have some difficulties because I did put in my birthday wrong," Amedanou said.
As of June 2025, there has been a 14% increase in submitted FAFSA forms compared to the previous year, according to Federal Student Aid.
Notable improvements have been made to the 2026-27 form to help streamline the process.
For instance, students can now invite their parent or contributor to complete their portion of the FAFSA with a code.
Additionally, those needing to create an account on studentaid.gov will now receive confirmation information immediately, saving students and parents as much as a few days during the process.
"We encourage all students to file a FAFSA, even if they are still exploring their post-high school options," said Alison Notter, MDHEWD Outreach Director in a press release. "Filing a FAFSA allows students to be considered for many forms of financial aid, such as Access Missouri, A+ Scholarship Program, and private scholarships."
Reece emphasized that her department is now focused on refinement rather than crisis management.
"Now that we have the processes down and we kind of know the flow of information, we can work on fine-tuning things for students," Reece said.
The latest FAFSA application remains open until 2027, but officials advise students not to delay.
Missouri will host FAFSA events at job centers, colleges, and libraries across the state, plus virtual office hours for one-on-one support.
Reece says to have students check their individual school’s pages for on-campus assistance.
Click here to see KCKCC’s financial aid information.
"I'm hopeful," Reece said.
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