Following last year’s troubled rollout of the new Free Application for Financial Student Aid — which was plagued with technical difficulties — USC has been chosen to participate in the FAFSA Beta program for the 2025-26 cycle, which is meant to streamline the application process.

Typically, students have to wait until Dec. 1 to fill out the FAFSA. However, in the Beta program, students are given priority access to an early application. 

“All continuing students who plan to apply for financial aid next year are invited to participate. They must sign up to participate by Oct. 28,” USC Financial Aid wrote in a statement to the Daily Trojan.

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Beta applications will help Federal Student Aid Office staff identify and resolve any errors in the FAFSA process that can cause problems for students, families and schools before the form rolls out to the general public. While students are encouraged to submit their forms from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8, the early access application will remain open through Nov. 30. Students will not need to reapply during the regular FAFSA cycle. 

Kobe Gonzalez, a freshman majoring in neuroscience, struggled with the FAFSA and the USC Financial Aid Office when he applied to USC last year.

Gonzalez said his difficulties navigating last year’s FAFSA and USC’s financial aid office made him question his decision to attend the University. Ultimately, Gonzalez held out hope for his dream school and received the financial aid package he was looking for.

“I was nervous,” Gonzalez said. “But I’m thinking differently about this year now that I am actually in college.”

Gonzalez said he is hesitant to opt into the program due to its novelty. Still, after receiving news about the FAFSA Beta program from the USC Financial Aid Office, he said he is excited to see what the new application holds in store. 

“I was definitely interested. It seemed like the whole FAFSA process was just getting easier,” Gonzalez said. “USC has now reached out numerous times to me about this new Beta program, and I definitely appreciate this.”

The Beta tests are designed to include students from differing types of institutions, along with unique educational and family backgrounds. The Federal Student Aid Office is particularly interested in students from mixed immigration-status families, first-generation students, students experiencing or at risk of homelessness, students who might not be in contact with their parents and students or family members who are incarcerated. 

Chase Yells, a freshman majoring in business administration, said he has no worries about filling out the FAFSA this cycle after his seamless application last year. He also said he’s grateful to be among the first students in the country to have access to the early application and is already planning on opting into the program. 

“The University is doing an amazing job and has always put their students first, and I’m super excited for the next few years,” Yells said. “All I know is that it’s offered to a few schools, and I’m excited to be part of it.” 

The Beta program began on Oct. 1, and students from an increasing number of schools will be eligible to participate over time until the regular general application opens on Dec. 1.

In an effort to increase transparency, the Department of Education plans to regularly report on the program’s results as applications roll in. The reports will include statistics on completion, error rates and detailed progress reports about technology releases, which will be available on the Federal Student Aid website.