What is the Federal Student Aid PIN?

Your Federal Student Aid PIN serves as your electronic signature and provides access to your personal information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. Anyone - including parents of dependent students - who has a valid Social Security Number and is a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen may apply for a PIN. Because you can use your PIN to sign your financial aid documents, you should keep it in a safe place. Do not share your PIN with anyone, even if that person or organization is helping you fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

A PIN is a 4-digit numeric code or a 6-digit alpha code that you need to:

• Electronically sign your FAFSA or Corrections on the Web application (no paper signature page required).
• View the status and/or results of your FAFSA or Corrections on the Web application.
• Access the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Web site (www.nslds.ed.gov) and view information about loans and other federal student aid you may have received.
• Access the Direct Loan Servicing Web site (www.dl.ed.gov) and view information about Direct Loans you may have received.
• Access the Direct Loan Consolidation Web site (www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov) to track the processing status of your online Consolidation Loan application.
• You may also E-sign the Master Promissory Note for your Federal Direct Loan (dlenote.ed.gov). To E-sign a Master Promissory Note for a Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL), contact your college's financial aid office or your lender for assistance.

Each year that you apply for financial aid you can use your PIN to access and electronically sign your FAFSA. If you are a dependent student, one of your parents should have his/her own PIN to electronically sign your FAFSA and any corrections you need to make. You and your parents do not need to apply for a new PIN from one year to the next. The PIN stays the same.

If you, or your parents, do not have a PIN, we encourage you to apply for one now. You can apply at Federal Student Aid's PIN Web site, www.pin.ed.gov, by selecting Apply for a PIN. Also, students and parents of dependent students who have not previously applied for a PIN may do so within the FAFSA on the Web application. Once you successfully complete a request, we will e-mail or mail you a PIN, depending on whether you and your parents provide us with an e-mail address. It will take approximately 1-3 business days after you request your PIN for you to receive an e-mail notification with instructions on how to retrieve it electronically, or 7-10 days to receive it in the mail via the U.S. Postal Service.

To protect the privacy of the information you submit, you must keep your PIN secret. If you have lost or forgotten your PIN, or if you think someone else knows your PIN, you can request a new one at www.pin.ed.gov.