This blog was originally written by April Jordan and posted on the Department of Education’s blog. You can view the original post here. 
If you’re a student, parent, or borrower and you’re logging in to a U.S. Department of Education (ED) website, like fafsa.gov, the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) at www.nslds.ed.gov, StudentLoans.gov, StudentAid.gov, and Agreement to Serve (ATS) at teach-ats.ed.gov, you will be asked to create new log-in credentials known as the FSA ID.
The FSA ID – a username and password – benefits you in four ways:
1. It removes your personally identifiable information (PII), like your Social Security number, from your log-in credentials.
2. It creates a more secure and efficient way to verify your information when you log in to access your federal student aid information online.
3. It gives you the ability to easily update your personal information, like your phone number, e-mail address, or name.
4. It allows you to easily retrieve your username and password by requesting a secure code to be sent to your e-mail address or by answering challenge questions.
Creating an FSA ID is simple and only takes a few minutes. You’ll have an opportunity to link your current Federal Student Aid PIN to your FSA ID. Doing so allows you to use your newly created FSA ID almost immediately to log in to the five ED websites listed above. Even if you’ve forgotten your FSA PIN or don’t have one, you can still create an FSA ID.
The final step in creating an FSA ID is to confirm your e-mail address. You’ll be sent a secure code to the e-mail address that you entered when you created your FSA ID. Once you retrieve the code from your e-mail account and enter it – to confirm that your e-mail address is valid – you’ll be able to use this e-mail address instead of your username to log in to the five ED websites, making the log-in process EVEN simpler!
Remember, your federal student aid account information is valuable. Only the owner of the FSA ID should create and use the account. And, you should never share your FSA ID.
For more information about the FSA ID, please visit StudentAid.gov/fsaid.
