FAFSA and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Updates

The Heartland Finanial Aid Office wanted to share very important FAFSA updates that will affect students at most higher ed institutions. Due to upcoming changes from the implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act we recommend that all students submit their FAFSA’s by April 15, 2026.

On April 26, 2026, the layout in which schools receive student FAFSA’s (also called ISIRs) will change. Once the department of Education makes those accessible to us, we will not be able to load ISIRs until we have the ability to process them. Our systems are not currently set up in a way that we would be able to process forms submitted after that date.

Students who submit their FAFSA’s after April 15, 2026 will still be able to receive aid for the 2026-27 academic year, but there may be significant delays.

In the meantime, the Financial Aid Office is more than happy to answer any urgent student questions or meet with students having trouble with the form. We also recommend that students reach out to an ISAC representative if they need assistance. Appointments can be made with an ISAC rep at ISAC.org/booking.