Tell your friends! The official FAFSA is at www.FAFSA.ed.gov – not at a .com Web site. If you go to a .com site, you will probably be asked to pay to submit the FAFSA. Remember, the first F in "FAFSA" stands for "free" – so use the official government site to submit your application.

This Web site explains how to complete the 2008-09 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It explains the purpose of the FAFSA questions. This site also contains a section that provides answers to several frequently asked questions (FAQs). If you have additional questions about federal student aid or how to complete an electronic or paper application after you review this site, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or contact your financial aid administrator (FAA). You can also go to the U.S. Federal Student Aid's Student Aid Gateway site at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov.

If you or a younger brother or sister is interested in finding out how the application process works, they might be interested in FAFSA4caster. This new product is an online tool to help provide awareness of federal student aid eligibility before officially applying for federal student aid. It helps them estimate the cost of an education after high school. Some of the data entered on FAFSA4caster will populate the FAFSA on the Web application. For more information, go to www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov and select the www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov link.

How to complete the application

There are three ways to complete a FAFSA:

• Online (FAFSA on the Web) at www.fafsa.ed.gov (recommended)
• PDF FAFSA (download file) at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov
• Paper FAFSA (request a copy by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID)

In some cases, you might be able to apply directly through your school. You should check with the financial aid administrator at the school you are interested in attending to see if the school will assist you with your application. If you are using either FAFSA on the Web, the PDF or the paper FAFSA (sometimes referred to as the paper form), you can use the instructions on this Web site as a guide to help you complete the application process. If you are online and need additional assistance with a particular question, you can use the online help text for that question by selecting the "Need Help With this Page" link at the bottom of the Web page, or you can match the question number that is in parentheses behind the online question with the sequenced question number beginning under "The Application Questions."

Applying online is generally faster and easier for two reasons:

• FAFSA on the Web has built-in help to guide you through the application process.
• The schools you list on your application will receive your processed information faster.

If you do not have a computer with Internet access at home, you can usually find Internet access at your local library, high school or a financial aid office at a nearby campus. Over 95 percent of applications are submitted electronically.

Using a Federal Student Aid PIN to sign your application

You and your parents are encouraged to apply for a Federal Student Aid PIN to sign your online application. For a dependent student, at least one parent whose information is provided on the application must sign. You can easily determine your dependency status by selecting the “Dependency Status Worksheet” link on the FAFSA on the Web home page at www.fafsa.ed.gov and answering the questions. These questions are discussed in more detail in "The Application Questions."

The PIN will serve as an identifier and as an electronic signature. It works much like the personal identification number you get from your bank. You can apply for a PIN from within FAFSA on the Web or at the Federal Student Aid PIN Web site. After completing the PIN application, you must choose how you want your PIN delivered to you. The choices are to

• Create your own PIN
• Have a system-generated PIN instantly displayed online
• Have a system-generated PIN instantly sent in a secure link to your permanent e-mail address
• Have a system-generated PIN mailed to your permanent postal mailing address

You or your parent (if you are a dependent student) may use the new PIN immediately to sign a FAFSA. Then within one to three days of the PIN being issued, your name, date of birth and Social Security Number (SSN) are verified with the Social Security Administration (SSA). If the SSA confirms your information, the PIN is then valid for all its uses, which include:

• Access to your Student Aid Report online
• Access to your data to make corrections
• The option to pre-fill a 2008-09 FAFSA with demographic information from the previous year
• Access to your information on other Federal Student Aid Web sites, such as the National Student Loan Data System

You are not required to have a PIN to complete and submit an original application, however, using a PIN is the fastest way to sign your application.

Both Web and paper FAFSA filers may provide their e-mail addresses in 2008-09 by completing Question 13. If you provide your e-mail address you will receive your student financial aid correspondence rapidly by e-mail. Otherwise, leave Question 13 blank and you will receive all of your correspondence by postal mail.

As previously stated, FAFSA on the Web applicants are not required to have a PIN to apply. If you do not have a PIN to electronically sign your application, you can print, sign and mail in a signature page. If you choose to submit your application and mail in a signature page, a PIN will automatically be sent to you, by e-mail or by postal mail, if we determine that you do not already have a PIN assigned to you. If you already have a PIN and need a copy of it sent to you, you can go to www.pin.ed.gov to request a duplicate copy.

If you have any questions about the PIN process, you should either visit the PIN Web site at www.pin.ed.gov or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

If you filed a FAFSA previously or completed FAFSA4caster

If you have a previous application on file, when you start to complete your 2008-09 application you will be asked if you want the information from that application to pre-fill the new application. You will be given this option if you either

• Filed a 2007-08 FAFSA or
• Completed our new financial aid estimator tool, FAFSA4caster.

This process will allow you to complete the 2008-09 FAFSA in less time.