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The 2025-26 FAFSA is out!
The 2025-26 FAFSA is now open! Explore our updated resources, guides, and templates to help unaccompanied homeless and foster youth complete their FAFSA today!
What’s happening: The Department of Education has opened the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for students and families starting now, ahead of its official launch on Dec. 1.
Why it matters: For students whose personal and family situations are more complicated – especially unaccompanied homeless youth and foster youth — applying early provides more time to obtain necessary documentation to complete the FAFSA.
What you can do:
- Help students experiencing homelessness by providing FAFSA determinations.
- Support students and parents in creating FSA IDs.
Check out our updated FAFSA resources:
- Inform Students about the FAFSA: Use This Email Template
- How to Answer FAFSA Questions About Homelessness (step-by-step video included)
- Customizable Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (UHY) FAFSA 101 Presentations:
- Sample Form Letters to Determine Independent Student Status of Unaccompanied Homeless Youth for the FAFSA
- Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Determination: A Template for Financial Aid Administrators
- Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Written Statement: A Template for Financial Aid Administrators
- Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Written Statement: A Template for Students
- Updated Federal FAFSA Guidance for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth – as of July 19, 2024
- Review policies for homeless youth in this FAFSA webinar.
View all of our FAFSA resources here.