This web site explains how to complete the 2003-04 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 federal student aid web site at www.studentaid.ed.gov.

You can complete a FAFSA in the following ways:

• Online (FAFSA on the Web) at www.fafsa.ed.gov
• On paper

Using a PIN to Sign Your Application

If you apply electronically on FAFSA on the Web or Renewal FAFSA on the Web, you can use a PIN to sign your application. If you are a dependent student (your dependency status is determined through a series of questions, 52-58), one of your parents also can use a PIN to sign the application. If you (and your parent, if applicable) do not already have a PIN, you should obtain one before you complete your electronic application. You can obtain a PIN before you begin the application process by applying at www.pin.ed.gov. If you give us your e-mail address, when you apply for a PIN, we will e-mail you with a link to a web page where you can obtain your PIN.

FAFSA on the Web applicants don't need to have a PIN to apply. Instead, they can use a signature page. However, using a PIN will result in a faster processing turnaround. If you apply without a PIN, but provide your e-mail address on your FAFSA on the Web application, you will receive an e-mail with a link to a web page where you can obtain your PIN. If you do not provide your e-mail address, you will receive your PIN by mail.

Paper FAFSA filers may provide their e-mail addresses in 2003-04 by completing Question 99.

If you Applied Previously

If you applied for aid in 2002-03, you might not have to complete an entire FAFSA for 2003-04. Instead, you might be able to use a Renewal FAFSA, which is available both on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov and on paper. The Renewal FAFSA is pre-filled with previous year's data. The applicant will have to simply change or add information as needed. For 2003-04, certain renewal applicants will automatically receive PINs:

• Graduate students and fifth-year undergraduates
• Students who filed on FAFSA on the Web or Corrections on the Web in 2002-03
• Students whose schools request that PINs be sent instead of paper Renewal FAFSAs.

Students who meet the above three requirements and who provide a valid e-mail address will receive an e-mail that will provide a link to their PIN. If they did not provide an e-mail address or the address they provided was invalid, they will receive a PIN mailer. A PIN mailer is a paper document that is mailed to the student's permanent mailing address. It contains the student's PIN, which can be used to access his or her Renewal Application via Renewal FAFSA on the Web.

You also can obtain more detailed information on how to use the PIN from www.pin.ed.gov.