News & Video

PIN information for completing the online FAFSA

US Department of Education

The PIN serves as your identifier to let you access your personal information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. It's like the Personal Identification Number that you get from your bank that enables you to access your account. Because your PIN serves as your electronic signature, you should not give it to anyone.

Once you successfully complete a request, we will e-mail or mail your PIN. 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.

When you use your PIN, you must type the PIN exactly as it appears.

You need a PIN in order to perform any of the following tasks:

• Electronically sign the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Web, Renewal FAFSAs on the Web, or FAFSA Corrections on the Web.
• View the status of a submitted FAFSA application on FAFSA on the Web's Status Check.
• View the results of a processed FAFSA application on FAFSA on the Web's Student Access.
• Access your Federal Student Aid information on the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Web site.
• Access Direct Loan Entrance and Exit Counseling.
• Make address corrections to a Direct Loan account, calculate a repayment schedule, and get interactive counseling on deferment or forbearance for any Direct Loans on the Direct Loan Servicing Web site.
• Track the processing status of your online Consolidation Loan application throughout the entire consolidation process from application receipt to booking with Direct Loan Servicing.
• Make updates to the e-mail or mailing address where your PIN can be sent.
• Print a copy of your Student Aid Report (SAR).