FSA ID TRANSITION Ditch the PIN

WHAT IS THE NEW FSA ID AND PASSWORD? U.S. Department of Education has a new login process beginning April 26 th for student- and borrower-based websites, including FAFSA on the Web, NSLDS® Student Access, StudentLoans.gov, StudentAid.gov, and the TEACH Grant website. The new FSA ID, which will be comprised of a user-selected username and password, will replace the Federal Student Aid PIN as the process by which students, parents, and borrowers authenticate their identity to access their federal student aid information. Currently, students and student loan borrowers enter a four-digit personal identification number (PIN) to access FSA websites including FAFSA, NSLDS, StudentLoans.gov, StudentAid.gov, and the TEACH Grant website. Once the new login process is implemented April 26, 2015 users will authenticate their identity by entering a new FSA ID.

WHY TRANSITION FROM THE OLD FSA PIN TO THE FSA ID? The changes are being made to eliminate the need for individuals to enter personal identifiers (Social Security number, name, and date of birth) when accessing Federal Student Aid's systems. This change is critical to comply with new security requirements and industry best practices. It will allow a single sign-on process for most systems. Offering new functionality and efficiency, only one ID and password to remember.

WHICH WEBSITES ARE IMPACTED? FAFSA on the Web NSLDS® Student Access StudentLoans.gov StudentAid.gov TEACH Grant website

HOW WILL THE DEPT OF ED COMMUNICATE THE CHANGE TO STUDENTS? 3 Ways…

THREE METHODS TO COMMUNICATE THE CHANGE… 1. Dept of Ed will post an announcement about the FSA ID on each impacted website (FAFSA on the Web, NSLDS® Student Access, StudentLoans.gov, StudentAid.gov, and the TEACH Grant website) in mid-April This information will introduce the FSA ID to users but will also reassure them that there is nothing they need to do before the change. 2. Dept of Ed will create a new page on StudentAid.gov in mid-April that provides additional information about the upcoming transition to the FSA ID. Once the FSA ID is implemented on April 26, 2015, users who visit the old PIN website will automatically be redirected to this page. 3. After implementation on April 26, 2015, users who arrive at the impacted websites will be directed to a link to register for their new FSA ID. The registration process should take less than seven minutes.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE OLD FSA PIN? During the FSA ID registration process, an individual who already has a PIN with a successful match from the Social Security Administration (SSA) will have the option to link that PIN to their new FSA ID. By linking to a “matched” PIN, the user will be able to immediately use the FSA ID with the FAFSA on the Web, NSLDS Student Access, StudentLoans.gov, StudentAid.gov, and the TEACH Grant websites. During the FSA user ID creation, the user will be asked for their current FSA PIN. The user will be prompted to create an FSA ID. As long as the PIN information matches the FSA ID information, the PIN information will be linked to the new FSA ID account.

WHAT IF THE OLD FSA PIN IS NOT MATCHED TO A NEW FSA ID? If an individual does not link to a “matched” PIN during the FSA ID registration process, they will have limited use of the FSA ID until the SSA confirms their personal identifiers (1-3 days). This is similar to the “conditional PIN” that new PIN applicants currently receive, while waiting for the SSA match to be conducted. Currently, with an FSA PIN students only have conditional use of the PIN until their information is matched by the SSA. There will be no mass conversions of PINs to FSA ID’s, instead the PIN will only be matched when a user accesses an impacted website.

WHAT IF A STUDENT HAS ALREADY SUBMITTED THEIR FAFSA? The Dept of Ed plans to switch to the new, pinless login process on April 26, Once the new login procedures go live, Users will be able to establish their user name and password. Prior to April 26 th, Users will still use the FSA PIN Users will be able access their FAFSA with their new login info even if they submitted their FAFSA using the soon-to-be-obsolete FSA PIN.

HOW WILL NEW USERS BE IMPACTED? (NO PRIOR PIN) New users will be redirected to the FSA ID registration website if they try to access the old pin.gov website. They will not have a PIN to match to their FSA ID, the new FSA ID can be used in limited capacity (much like the conditional PIN). The FSA ID registration process requests the same required information as the old PIN creation process. New users will be directed to the registration page to create an FSA ID (Username and Password) similar to today’s PIN creation page. This new username and password will be used to access any of the impacted sites.

HOW ARE PARENTS AFFECTED? Parents of dependent students are required to create their own FSA ID and Password that is separate from their student's FSA ID and Password. Much like the old FSA PIN, parents will use their own FSA ID and password to authenticate their identity and “sign” their student's FAFSA. Each FSA ID must be associated with a different address. In particular, the parent and each student must have their own address. Parents may not use their own address for a dependent student. The student must have his or her own address. A parent will have one FSA ID, regardless of the number of students they have.

HOW WILL THE FSA ID TRANSITION EFFECT FA PROFESSIONALS? This change will not impact the FSA User ID login process that is currently in place for financial aid professionals. The Dept of Ed has not yet determined the impact, if any, on FA Professionals with an FSA ID that are also students, parents of students or borrowers. They will address this issue in late April or early May.

COMMUNICATING THE CHANGE TO YOUR STUDENTS Schools may share this information with students prior to April 26, The Dept of Ed will post a step-by-step guide to registering for an FSA ID to the IFAP website. Keep in mind that there is nothing individuals can do with this information prior to April 26, 2015, except to simply be prepared to complete the transition when they visit one of the impacted websites on or after April 26, 2015.

TAKE-AWAYS

The New FSA ID transition is the new method to authenticate the identity of Students, Borrowers and Parents. Users will be redirected to the FSA ID registration page on or after April 26, Registration should take about 7 minutes. Students will be asked to match their old PIN to their new FSA ID. If you inform students of the change, remind them nothing can be done until after April 26, If the FAFSA is already signed, students are not required to “resubmit” the application. They will be required to create an FSA ID in order to access any previously submitted application as well as any of the other impacted websites.