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The Renewal FAFSA uses your answers from the FAFSA you filed last year to pre-fill most of the application, dramatically cutting down on the time you need to fill out this year's form. Your Renewal FAFSA, whether paper or over the Internet, will display last year's answers in the answer blanks. If you choose to use a Renewal FAFSA, you need to provide current answers to items like the financial and tax questions, and update any information that has changed from the previous year.

No. Wait for the Student Aid Report (SAR) that contains the results of your first application. FAFSA will mail you this document once we have finished processing your application, usually within two weeks. At that time, if you need to make any corrections to your application, you can use FAFSA Corrections on the Web to update your information. To access FAFSA Corrections on the Web, select the "Entering a FAFSA Online" link from the FAFSA on the Web home page at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov, and select "Make Corrections." Choose the Corrections" option, make the necessary corrections, and submit your changes. You can check the status of your application by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800/4-FEDAID (800/433-3243)/TTY: 800/730-8913 or 319/337-5665, or by selecting "Entering a FAFSA Online" from the FAFSA on the Web home page, and choosing the "Check My Submitted FAFSA" option.

Electronic filing is faster than filing a paper form. The process may be as much as 7-14 days faster if you electronically sign your application as soon as you complete it. Submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid using FAFSA on the Web or another electronic product eliminates delays that can occur from mailing. Also, FAFSA on the Web edits your application before you transmit, ensuring that the data you transmit to the U.S. Department of Education is ready to be processed.

Formerly known as the Electronic Access Code (EAC), a PIN is the code that you need to: Sign your FAFSA electronically or Retrieve your Renewal FAFSA information over the Internet or File your Renewal FAFSA using the FAFSA on the Web site or Access the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) web site and view information about other federal student aid you may have received. Your PIN is similar to the PIN you use to access your bank account. To protect the privacy of the information you are submitting, you must keep your PIN secret. If you need a PIN, have lost or forgotten your PIN, or if you think someone else knows your PIN, you can request a new one at http://www.pin.ed.gov. You can sign FAFSA Express or FAFSA on the Web applications electronically using your PIN. If you sign the application using an electronic signature, you do not have to print out and sign a paper signature page.

Your Data Release Number is a four-digit number assigned to your application by the U.S. Department of Education and printed on the top right corner of your Student Aid Report (SAR). Anyone wanting to receive or change your FAFSA information must have your DRN in order to do so. Do not give out your DRN to anyone unless you have agreed to give them access to your FAFSA information.

Each time a FAFSA or a correction to a FAFSA is processed, a transaction number is created. For example, the initial FAFSA is processed, creating Transaction 01. A correction to your Student Aid Report (SAR) is processed, creating Transaction 02. Another correction to your SAR is processed, creating Transaction 03. Each time that a new transaction is created, we will send you a new SAR in the mail. All schools listed on the SAR will also receive an electronic copy of the new SAR. Your transaction number can be located in the upper right hand corner of your Student Aid Report (SAR), beneath your Social Security Number and to the right of your name ID (the first two letters of your last name).

The signature page is a document that can be generated by the FAFSA on the Web, the Renewal FAFSA on the Web, or FAFSA Corrections on the Web. It is personalized by containing your Student ID and address. If you choose not to sign the application electronically, then you (and at least one parent if you are a dependent student) can sign a paper signature page. Once the document is signed, mail it to the U.S. Department of Education address printed on the page to complete your application. By signing this application, you agree, if asked, to provide information that verifies the accuracy of your completed form. This information may include a copy of your U.S. or state income tax form. For FAFSA on the Web, the signature page is for students and/or parent(s). For Renewal FAFSA on the Web and FAFSA Corrections on the Web, the signature page is for parent(s) if parental data is provided.

The Data Release Number (DRN) appears in the top right corner of the Student Aid Report (SAR). The DRN allows you to contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center to make corrections to your address or your institution list. It also allows you to release your FAFSA data to schools not listed on your FAFSA. The PIN comes in a separate mailer, and allows you to access your Renewal FAFSA on the Web and Corrections on the Web. It also allows you to electronically sign FAFSA on the Web, Renewal FAFSA on the Web, Corrections on the Web, and FAFSA Express applications. While the DRN and the PIN share the same four-digit format, the number schemes are different; therefore they are not interchangeable.

The EAC uses a 6 alpha-character format (aaaaaa). The PIN uses a 4-digit numeric format (9999). However, the PIN functions in the same manner as the EAC. It allows you to access your personal information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. If you have previously requested and obtained your EAC, you do not need to request a PIN. A PIN will automatically be mailed to you.

For the 2011-2012 school year, you can submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid using FAFSA on the Web from January 1, 2011 until June 30 2012.