WHILE ATTENDING COLLEGE

REAPPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID

Did you know you must reapply each year for federal student aid? Fortunately, it's now easy to annually renew your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online, without having to deal with the hassle of paperwork.

FAFSA on the Web
Check out the free FAFSA on the Web — the way to apply online for student financial aid! (Students who applied for aid last year may be able to complete a Renewal FAFSA application online.) When you apply online, you don't hassle with paperwork, and you get your results faster. Plus, help filling out your FAFSA is built into the system, so you'll know what to do as you go along. You can even “chat” live online with a customer service representative if you need personal assistance. This help is free—you don't have to pay us—or anyone else—for assistance. For another form of free help, check out Completing the FAFSA, below.

Your FAFSA information is safe with U.S. Government! Is it safe with you? Click here to learn how the Department of Education safeguards the personal information you report on your online FAFSA. 

In addition, you can click here to go to Senator Boxer's feature on Consumer Protection to learn how to protect yourself in general.

Get ready to fill out the FAFSA!
FAFSA on the Web has a list of documents you'll need to gather before filling out the FAFSA. Also, if you plan to complete FAFSA on the Web, but you'd like to prepare by filling something out on paper first, you should use the Pre-Application Worksheet. This worksheet asks the FAFSA questions in the same order FAFSA on the Web does. (The paper FAFSA asks the questions in a different order, so you might find it confusing if you use it to prepare for FAFSA on the Web.) Click here to view the list of documents needed and the Pre-Application Worksheet for the 2004-2005 school year. Click here to view the 2005-2006 Pre-Application Worksheet (for the academic year from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006).

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PIN
The PIN is your identifier to let you access personal information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. You must have a PIN to file an online Renewal FAFSA or to make online corrections to your FAFSA. Request one here.

Federal School Code Search Page
Schools equipped for electronic communication with the Department of Education will receive your FAFSA information automatically. If you're filing a paper application, you can use the Federal School Code Search to look up codes for the colleges you are considering so that you can list them correctly on the FAFSA.

Completing the FAFSA
If you're wondering, "Why do they ask that?," or saying, "MY family situation is different, now what do I do?," see Completing the FAFSA. It explores the purpose of FAFSA questions and discusses how information should be reported in some unusual cases.

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