FAFSA opens despite government shutdown

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2026 academic year went live Wednesday as scheduled, despite a government shutdown.

The FAFSA form is crucial for students seeking scholarships, grants and loans from federal and state governments. Some Indiana colleges also require students to complete the form.

While the form is open as planned, the U.S. Department of Education is maintaining a skeleton crew to keep up with financial aid disbursements, according to a contingency plan memo. The department expects more than 9 million students to complete the form for the 2026 school year.

About 750,000 government workers, including 24,000 civilians in Indiana, will stop work during the shutdown.

Some Indiana high school seniors are required to submit a FAFSA form, unless they choose to opt out. Indiana's FAFSA deadline is April 15. Though federal employees may not be available to answer FAFSA questions, Indiana's Commission for Higher Education and InvestEd provide free assistance for Hoosier families.

The education department said Pell Grants — funding reserved for those with exceptional need — and federal direct loans will not be interrupted. The department said most awards were dispersed in the summer, so "there would be limited impact on the Department's grantmaking."

"States, schools and other grantees will continue to be able to access funds from the billions of dollars in recent awards the Department made over the summer," it said.

Borrowers with outstanding federal student loan debt must continue repayments during the shutdown.