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 2007-08 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 on the 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

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 or the paper FAFSA, you can use the instructions on this Web site as a guide to help you complete the application process. If you are online and come to a question you need more help with, 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 in this publication.

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 90 percent of applications are submitted electronically.

Using a Federal Student Aid PIN to sign your application

You (and your parent, if you are a dependent student) should apply for a Federal Student Aid PIN. 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 use your PIN to electronically sign your original FAFSA on the Web application and to access and electronically sign your Renewal FAFSA on the Web application. If you are a dependent student (your dependency status is determined through a series of questions: 48-55), one of your parents must sign your application. Your parent can also apply for his or her own PIN and use that PIN to electronically sign your application. 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. You are required to have a PIN to access and sign a Renewal FAFSA. See the section If You Applied Previously below for further information on the Renewal FAFSA.

We encourage you (and your parent, if you are a dependent student) to apply for a PIN 5 to 10 days before you begin the application process. This will allow sufficient time to receive your PIN so that you can electronically sign your application by the time you complete it. You can apply for a PIN at Federal Student Aid's secure Web site at www.pin.ed.gov. If you provide your e-mail address, you will receive an e-mail within 3 days with a secure link to retrieve your PIN. Once you receive the PIN e-mail notice from Federal Student Aid, you will have 14 days to retrieve your PIN. You will be allowed to retrieve and view your PIN one time. If you do not retrieve your PIN in 14 days, we will deactivate the secure link and will send your PIN by postal mail to the address we have on file for you. Both Web and paper FAFSA filers may provide their e-mail addresses in 2007-08 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 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 applied previously

If you applied for aid in 2006-07, you might not have to complete an entire FAFSA for 2007-08. Instead, you might be able to use a Renewal FAFSA, which is available on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The Renewal FAFSA is pre-filled with data that usually hasn't changed from the previous year (such as the demographic information). Financial information that typically changes from year to year (adjusted gross income, taxes paid, asset information, etc.) is not pre-filled and you will need to provide the appropriate financial data. You will need your Federal Student Aid PIN in order to access your Renewal FAFSA.

Students who are eligible to file a Renewal FAFSA and who provided a valid e-mail address will receive a Renewal Reminder. If they did not provide an e-mail address or the e-mail address they provided was invalid, they will receive a Renewal Reminder letter.

If you need a copy of your PIN sent to you, you can go to www.pin.ed.gov to request a duuplicate copy.