Federal jurisdiction
The Office of Federal Student Aid is part of the U.S. Department of Education and administers student financial assistance programs authorized under federal higher-education law.
What Federal Student Aid manages
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) system and StudentAid.gov accounts.
- Federal Pell Grants and other federal grant programs.
- Federal Work-Study and Direct Loan programs.
- Federal student loan records, repayment tools, and oversight of federal loan servicers.
- Guidance and systems used by participating colleges, career schools, borrowers, students, and contributors.
What schools and other agencies decide
- A school decides admission and creates the student’s actual financial aid offer.
- The school’s financial aid office normally collects verification documents and sets its submission deadline.
- States and schools may operate separate grants, scholarships, applications, and priority deadlines.
- A loan servicer handles billing and account service for loans assigned to it; Federal Student Aid oversees the federal program but is not every borrower’s day-to-day servicer.
Official public services
- StudentAid.gov — federal student aid information and account services
- Official FAFSA form
- Federal Student Aid contact center
- Knowledge Center for financial aid professionals
When to contact the school instead
Contact the school’s financial aid office for verification documents, institutional forms, special financial circumstances, school deadlines, the status of a school’s review, and the exact aid package it offers.
Official sources
- U.S. Department of Education — Federal Student Aid
- U.S. Department of Education — Office of Federal Student Aid
- StudentAid.gov