For students and contributors (i.e., parent) who have a Social Security Number (SSN)
This guide was developed to help students and their parent(s) create an FSA ID for the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). An FSA ID will be necessary for all individuals (students and their parent(s)) when completing the FAFSA. Parents will be referred to as “Contributors,” and they will be asked to provide information on an applicant’s FAFSA. If a student and their contributor(s) already have an FSA ID, they will not need to create a new FSA ID, however, additional verification steps may need to be completed for the 2024-2025 FAFSA.
Contributors that have previously signed the FAFSA by printing and mailing in the ‘Parent Signature Page’ will now need to create an FSA ID to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA. You can create an FSA ID regardless of if you have an SSN or not. To create the FSA ID, follow the steps below for contributors who have an SSN. A separate guide is available for contributors who do not have an SSN. Please note that there is an identity verification process when creating an FSA ID. Information gathered from the identity verification process is solely used to confirm your identity and will not be shared with other agencies.
Note: A contributor can be the biological or legally adoptive parent, a parent’s spouse/partner, or student’s spouse/partner. This will be contingent on the student’s dependency status and parent status.
Please be aware of the following requirements:
Use NIU's School Code when completing the FAFSA.
001737
For scholarship-specific questions
scholarships@niu.edu