How to Log Into FAFSA
I often joke with families that logging into the FAFSA is sometimes the most difficult part of the federal financial aid application process. I’m joking… kind of. The FAFSA provides multiple options for logging in. We’ll take a look at each of them below.
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How Do I Log Into the FAFSA?
When you reach the landing page of the FAFSA, you are provided three options to log in to the form. You can log in as the student, the parent, or a preparer.
In general, families will need to concern themselves with the first two options, either logging in directly as the student or logging in as the parent.
Log in Using Student FSA ID
In order to log in as a student, the FAFSA requires the FSA ID information. This includes the student’s username and password. Here is more on the process of creating an FSA ID. It will require personal information and a brief waiting period while the Social Security Administration verifies the application.
Log in as Parent Using Student Information
The alternative to logging in directly as the student using the FSA ID is to log in as the parent using the student’s personal information. In order to log in as the parent, you will need to input the student’s name, social security number, and date of birth.
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Here are some important things to know about the FAFSA login process:
While there’s not a wrong way to log in, know that you will ultimately need the FSA ID for the student AND a parent in order to sign the FAFSA. These act as your electronic signatures. While you will be able to start the FAFSA by logging in as the parent using the student’s personal information, you will not be able to submit the form without the FSA IDs for both the student and the parent.
Make sure that you are not signing in under the parent’s FSA ID. If the parent isn’t the student applying for aid, then this will be a waste of time, and you will ultimately need to submit your information under the student’s login information.
The FSA IDs need to be created using unique email addresses. This means the student and parent FSA ID can’t be created using the same email. Make sure you are using different email addresses and that you have access to each email address. It’s best to use a personal email address and not a high school or work email address that you may lose access to over time.
Here are details on all of the different login options via the FAFSA help page.
There is a lot to be gained from our free general financial aid advice, but it’s also a very individual process. If you have remaining financial aid questions, email us to discuss more or book an individual session.