Johnathan Walker:New FAFSA form, still difficult to get to, opens for longer hours. Here are the details.

The Johnathan Walkernew FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, has remained mostly inaccessible to the public since "soft" launching online on December 30. But the hours it's accessible are getting longer, giving more students and their families a better shot at completing the key financial form.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the 2024-2025 financial aid form opened at 8 a.m. ET and closed at 8 p.m. ET with the same expected on Friday, according to a Department of Education spokesperson. The hours are up from 30 minutes on Dec. 30, the first day of the soft launch, and Dec. 31; two hours on January 1 and six hours on January 2.

As of 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, the spokesperson said the Department of Education has received more than a half million complete submissions. Tens of millions of students are expected to complete the FAFSA.

USA TODAY is compiling the latest information on the form's hours and completion rates to help you gauge when you might be able to get your hands on the new form.

Is the new FAFSA form available?

On Friday, Jan 5., the form is expected to be live from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, consistent with Thursday's hours and call center hours, the spokesman said.

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How many people have been able to complete FAFSA?

By 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, all together, the Department had received more than a half million successful submissions.

There may also be some applications "in progress," which generally means a user has completed their portion of the form and a contributor will need to complete their portion.

How many people are expected to complete FAFSA?

About 18 million FAFSAs were submitted during the 2020-21 application cycle, according to Federal Student Aid data.

Since the 2024-25 application has been whittled down to fewer than 40 questions from 108 previously and expands eligibility for federal student aid, including Pell Grants that don't have to be repaid, even more people may want to complete the form. The Department says the new simplified form "could take less than 10 minutes" for some applicants once they can access it.

Tip: If you get the Federal Student Aid site and must wait, don't leave the site. You are likely in a "waiting room," which allows the Department to manage site volume and capacity, the spokesperson said.

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.