Go to our FSA ID page and click the “Create an FSA ID Now” button. That page also has detailed information about the FSA ID in case you have any questions or run into any problems creating or using your FSA ID. You can get additional help from the Federal Student Aid Information Center.

Your FSA ID will be “locked” after three unsuccessful authentication attempts—in other words, you had an error when trying to enter your username and password. You have a couple of options for unlocking your FSA ID. 

Fill out the FAFSA at fafsa.gov, the official, free site. Here on StudentAid.gov, you can learn about the FAFSA before you fill it out.

Go to fafsa.gov and click the “Login” button.

• If you are the student, click “Enter your (the student’s) FSA ID.” You’ll be asked to log in using your FSA ID (username and password). The site will display the status of your FAFSA.
• If you are a parent, click “Enter the student’s information,” and you’ll need to provide your child’s identifiers. Do not enter your or your child’s FSA ID on the FAFSA Login page.

It depends. What’s your status?

• Already filled out your FAFSA? After receiving information from your processed FAFSA, the financial aid office at your college will determine how much and what kind(s) of financial aid you are eligible to receive. Watch for a letter, email, or other contact from your school. (Note: Most schools send financial aid award information after you have been admitted to the school.) Learn more about what happens after you fill out your FAFSA, including how your school calculates your aid and how you’ll receive your money.
• Haven’t filled out a FAFSA but just curious about how much aid you might receive? Check out FAFSA4caster, a free federal student aid eligibility estimator.

Your college or career school—not the U.S. Department of Education—will distribute your financial aid. If you have questions about why your aid hasn’t been paid out yet, or why it wasn’t the amount you expected, contact your school. 

Here is some general information about when and how federal student aid is distributed:

• You must be admitted and enrolled at a school before the aid will be paid.
• In most cases, your school must pay you at least once per term (semester, trimester, or quarter). Schools that don’t use traditional terms such as semesters or quarters usually must pay you at least twice per academic year—for instance, at the beginning and midpoint of your academic year. Learn more about when you’ll receive your financial aid.
• How you receive your aid will depend on the type of aid—grants, work-study, student loans, or parent loans. Learn more about how you’ll receive your financial aid.

If you are receiving a federal student loan and need help completing your Master Promissory Note, Direct PLUS Loan Request, or entrance counseling on StudentLoans.gov, contact the Student Loan Support Center.

You must pay your loan servicer. You can’t make a payment on this site.

Log in to My Federal Student Aid to review both summary and detailed information about the federal student loans you’ve received.

If you are thinking about consolidating your student loans and would like to discuss the pros and cons with a Federal Student Aid representative, contact the Loan Consolidation Information Call Center at 1-800-557-7392. If you need help while completing the loan consolidation application on StudentLoans.gov, contact the Student Loan Support Center for assistance.

If you have a question about your defaulted loan status or repayment of loans in default and owed to the Department of Education, contact the Federal Student Aid Default Resolution Group by sending an email or calling 1-800-621-3115 (TTY for the hearing impaired 1-877-825-9923).

If you have questions about a HEAL Program loan that is not in default, contact the lender that provided the loan or the lender’s servicer.

If you have questions about a HEAL Program loan that is in default, contact the Debt Collection Center:

Debt Collection Center
Accounting Services, Program Support Center
12501 Ardennes Avenue
Suite 200
Rockville, MD  20857

If you and your loan servicer disagree about the balance or status of your loan, first you should work with your loan servicer to resolve the dispute. If that doesn’t work, the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman Group may be able to assist you. The Ombudsman Group is a neutral, informal, and confidential resource to help resolve disputes about your federal student loans. 

Learn more about the Ombudsman Group, how to get prepared before seeking help with your loan problem, and how to submit a request.