A key component of the financial aid process, the FSA ID provides access to various Federal Student Aid websites, including fafsa.gov, the main page for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FSA ID has been in existence since May 2015. It's comprised of just a username and password, but the process of setting up an FSA ID has caused some confusion since its origination. Federal Student Aid received quite a few suggestions and comments from parents, students, and college counselors on how to make things clearer, and this month initiated some improvements to the process.
- Users may now list a mobile phone number when registering for an FSA ID, and request a text message if they ever forget their username or password or have a locked account. The text will include a secure code, which can be entered onto the FSA ID site to regain access to the account. The options of requesting a secure code via email or answering challenge questions to get back into an account will remain available. Users who already have an FSA ID may add a mobile phone number to their account anytime on the FSA ID site.
- NOTE: Each mobile phone number can only be linked to one FSA ID.
- The challenge question that requests the user to provide a significant date has become optional.
- Users will no longer have the opportunity to link a Federal Student Aid PIN to an FSA ID. All PINs not yet linked to an FSA ID are now considered expired.
- There's a new fact sheet, Creating and Using the FSA ID, that lists helpful information about the FSA ID.
- Federal Student Aid is planning to add videos to the FSA ID site to provide guidance on creating the FSA ID, retrieving a username, or resetting a password.
You can find more information on the FSA ID, as well as tips and a link to the FSA ID site, on studentaid.gov/fsaid. As well, each Federal Student Aid system provides instructions on how to contact the customer service center for each site. Check under the Help or Contact Us section for details.
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