Social Media | Federal Student Aid

Social Media at Federal Student Aid

Social Media

Federal Student Aid is using social media to facilitate an ongoing dialogue around student financial aid in an interactive and engaging format. These guidelines apply to Federal Student Aid’s presence on third-party social networks.

Social Inventory
Comment Policy
Linking Policy
Evaluation Criteria
Disclaimer of Endorsement
If You Send Us Personal Information


Social Inventory

Twitter Bird Icon     Twitter

  • @FAFSA: Need money for college? Stay up to date with the latest information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) and the federal student aid programs.
  • @FSAconf: See information about the Federal Student Aid Fall Conference for Financial Aid Administrators. 

Facebook Icon     Facebook

YouTube Icon  YouTube 

  • Federal Student Aid: View videos on student financial aid including understanding the financial aid process, applying for aid, borrowing responsibly, repaying your federal student loans and more.
  • College.gov: Information and resources about planning, preparing, and paying for college or career school.

Storify Icon  Storify

  • FAFSA: Information on how to find and apply for federal student aid. 

Federal Student Aid doesn't endorse any particular social media site or technique.


Comment Policy

We welcome your comments and hope that our conversations here will be polite. You are responsible for the content of your comments.

We do not discriminate against any views but may delete any of the following:

  • Violent, obscene, profane, hateful, or racist comments.
  • Comments that threaten or harm the reputation of any person or organization.
  • Endorsements, advertisements, or solicitations of any kind.
  • Comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity.
  • Multiple off-topic posts or repetitive posts that are copied and pasted.
  • Personal information including but not limited to e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, mailing addresses, or identification numbers.

In short: be nice and add to the discussion. If you continually violate this policy, we may limit your ability to comment in the future.


Linking Policy

Links to Government Websites

Federal Student Aid links to publicly available websites that are government-owned or government-sponsored. Acceptable federal government-owned or government-sponsored website domains include .gov, .mil and .fed.us.

Federal Student Aid also links to: quasi-government agencies and websites created by public sector/private sector partnerships; state and local government sites (e.g., www.maryland.gov); and some government-sponsored websites that end in .com, .org, or .net (e.g., www.myedaccount.com).

Links to Nongovernment Websites

Federal Student Aid also links to websites that are not government-owned or government-sponsored if these websites provide student aid information and/or services in a way that is not available on official government websites. Federal Student Aid provides these nongovernment websites as a public service only. When users select a link to an external website, they are leaving the Federal Student Aid site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the external website.

  • Federal Student Aid does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information contained on a linked website.
  • Federal Student Aid does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and does not endorse the views expressed or products offered on those sites.
  • Federal Student Aid is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.
  • Federal Student Aid does not guarantee that external websites comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

Evaluation Criteria

Federal Student Aid evaluates all links using the following criteria:

  • Is the website an official government-owned or -supported website? If not, does the website provide information and/or services in a way that is not available on an official government website?
  • Does the website complement existing information, products, and services provided by Federal Student Aid?
  • Is the website accessible and applicable to a wide audience?
  • Is the website's content relevant, useful, and authoritative for citizens, businesses, and/or government officials?
  • Does the website's information appear to be accurate and current?
  • Is the website's approach to the privacy of personal information consistent with the government's privacy and security policies?
  • Is the primary intent of the website to educate and inform, rather than persuade, convert, or sell? The site may include advertising but must be free from heavy marketing or promotion of products.
  • Does the website provide information free of charge?

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The opinions expressed by users are their own. Any references to institutions, programs, activities, commercial entities, products, and services that remain on Federal Student Aid social media accounts are those of the individual users. These references are not intended to reflect the opinion of the U.S. Department of Education or its officers or employees and are not an official or personal endorsement of any views expressed or product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying U.S. Department of Education endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.


If You Send Us Personal Information

Federal Student Aid never collects information or creates individual profiles for commercial marketing. We do not collect personal information for any purpose other than to respond to your question or request.

If you choose to provide us with personal information by submitting a question or request for information, we use the information provided to respond to your message.

Note: The above social media guidelines do not apply to StudentAid.gov. StudentAid.gov maintains a separate privacy policy and other notices.