Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Who We Are

Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation. At the office of Federal Student Aid, our 1,200 employees help make college education possible for every dedicated mind by providing more than $150 billion in federal grants, loans, and work-study funds each year to more than 13 million students paying for college or career school. We are proud to sponsor millions of American minds pursuing their educational dreams.

What We Do

Federal Student Aid is responsible for managing the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. These programs provide grants, loans, and work-study funds to students attending college or career school.

We ensure students and their families can benefit from these programs by informing students and families about the availability of the federal student aid programs and the process for applying for and receiving aid from those programs; developing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) and processing approximately 22 million FAFSA submissions each year; accurately disbursing, reconciling, and accounting for all federal student aid funds that are delivered to students each year through more than 6,200 colleges and career schools; managing the outstanding federal student loan portfolio and securing repayment from federal student loan borrowers; offering free assistance to students, parents, and borrowers throughout the entire financial aid process; and providing oversight and monitoring of all program participants—schools, financial entities, and students— to ensure compliance with the laws, regulations, and policies governing the federal student aid programs.

Additional Resources

We encourage you to visit the following resources to better understand Federal Student Aid’s role in funding education beyond high school.

Strategic Planning and Reporting: Review our strategic plans and annual performance reports. Available only in English.

Data Center: Access the latest data relating to our programs. Available only in English.

Public Service Announcements: Download our public service announcements.

Contracting Information: Learn how you can do business with us. Available only in English.

Employment Opportunities: Explore career opportunities with us.

Link to Us: Share our information and resources by linking to us.

Contact Us: Find out how you can reach us.

SAT Information

ACT Information

The Top 8 Reasons to Choose the ACT over the SAT

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln

You’ll know which questions count.

On the SAT, you might spend time and energy laboring over a question – not knowing that it does not count toward your score. That won’t happen with the ACT.1

Balance.

Math is half of the SAT score. The ACT mathematics section is 25% of the test and 25% of your score.

More students take the ACT to get into college.

Make sure you have an ACT score to send!

Scholarships

Take a look at what a school counselor found after 10 years of her students taking both the ACT and SAT: more scholarships favored the ACT.

No penalty for guessing

We’ve never had a penalty for guessing. We recommend you leave no answer blank.

Use your calculator for the whole math test. We don’t mind.

ACT lets you use your calculator for the entire math portion! That’s not true on the SAT.

You’ve already been studying for the ACT for years.

We designed the test so, that by the end of your junior year, you’ve likely covered all the material on the test.

FREE Test Prep

If you do want to prep, you can do it for FREE! ACT Academy is the go-to place to get the most comprehensive, FREE, personalized practice for the ACT.

Sources: Princeton Review Blog: The Truth (and Lies) About Experimental Sections