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The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is required to collect signatures from the applicant and his/her parents (if applicable) when the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is filed. By signing the FAFSA (electronically or on paper) the applicant is assuming responsibility for the accuracy of the information reported and agreeing to the terms of the certification in the last section/step of the FAFSA.
The FAFSA cannot be processed until signature(s) are received. There are three ways to sign the FAFAS depending on whether it is filed electronically or filed on the paper form.
- by signing electronically with a Personal Identification Number (PIN);
- by printing, signing and mailing a signatures page after submitting the application electronically; or
- by signing in step seven of the paper FAFSA and returning it in the mail.
Electronic applications and corrections that are missing signatures will be held for 14 days before a rejected Student Aid Report (SAR) is sent to the applicant.
Personal Identification Number (PIN)
Using a PIN to sign the applications electronically is the fastest and most reliable way to sign the application. It currently takes 1-3 days to get a PIN electronically as opposed to the 10 days it would take a signature pages to be received and processed through the mail. The PIN can be issues in real-time before a successful match with the Social Security Administration (SSA) occurs so the applicant or parent can immediately sign the application.
If the applicant and/or parent of a dependent applicant do not currently have a PIN, refer to the PIN page within this section, then access ED’s PIN Web site and follow the instructions for obtaining a PIN. Applying for a PIN is a one-time process. Parents and students may not share a PIN; each will need to apply for their own PIN. However, the parent and student can use their own PIN for signing the FAFSA application form one year to the next. In addition, parents can use the same PIN for processes involving different children.
The PIN can also be used to electronically sign the following application forms:
- FAFSA on the Web, (Initial and Renewal);
- FAFSA en Espanol (Inicial y Renovación); and
- Corrections on the Web
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