Formerly known as the Electronic Access Code (EAC), a PIN is an electronic access code number that serves as an identifier. A PIN lets you access your personal federal student aid information online in various U.S. Department of Education systems. It works much like the personal identification number you get from your bank. Whether you complete a paper FAFSA or file an application using FAFSA on the Web, you can get a PIN.

You can use your PIN to:

• Sign your FAFSA electronically

• Retrieve your Renewal FAFSA information over the Internet

• File your Renewal FAFSA using the FAFSA on the Web site

• Access your Student Aid Report (SAR), which is your processed FAFSA data

• Make corrections to your application information

• Access the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) web site and view information about other federal student aid you may have received

• Electronically sign a master promissory note

• Access your Direct Loan account through Direct Loan Servicing

To protect the privacy of the information you are submitting, you must keep your PIN secret. If you need a PIN, have lost or forgotten your PIN, or if you think someone else knows your PIN, you can request a new one at:

http://www.pin.ed.gov

If you fill out a FAFSA using FAFSA on the Web having a PIN allows you (and your parents, if they have a PIN and you are a dependent student) to "sign" your FAFSA electronically, which means the student aid process can be completed totally online. Your electronic signature holds the same legal status as a written signature, so do not give out your PIN to anyone. Once you get a PIN, you should remember it, because you use the same PIN in the future to apply electronically for student aid and to access your U.S. Department of Education records.

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