FAFSA is the first step to take if you are in need of financial aid for college students in the United States.
Creating an account on the FAFSA website is the first step to accessing grants, scholarships, and loans.
Encountering issues during your FAFSA account creation can be frustrating.
But if you’re facing this problem, we will help you troubleshoot and get your FAFSA account up and running.
How to Fix FAFSA Account Creation Not Working
There are several reasons why you might be having trouble creating a FAFSA account.
These are some steps you can take to fix the issue:
- Double-Check Your Information: Ensure all the information you enter matches your Social Security card exactly, including any hyphens or spaces. Typos can prevent successful account creation.
- Clear Your Browser Cache and Cookies: Sometimes, outdated data stored on your browser can cause problems. Try clearing your cache and cookies, then restarting your browser and attempting to create your account again.
- Use a Supported Browser: The FAFSA website might not function optimally on all browsers. It’s recommended to use a recent version of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge.
- Check Your Internet Connection: A slow or unstable internet connection can disrupt the account creation process. Ensure you have a strong and reliable connection before retrying.
- Try a Different Device: If the issue persists on your primary device, try creating your account from a different computer, tablet, or smartphone.
- Look for Downtime: Occasionally, the FAFSA website might undergo scheduled maintenance or experience unexpected technical difficulties. Resources like Downdetector can help you check if the website is experiencing an outage. If so, wait until the issue is resolved before attempting to create your account.
Why Won’t FAFSA Let Me Create an Account?
These are some other reasons why your FAFSA account creation might be failing:
- Existing Account: It’s possible you already have a FAFSA account, even if you don’t recall creating one. Try logging in using your existing FSA ID before attempting to create a new account.
- FSA ID Issues: If you’re using an existing FSA ID, ensure it’s active and hasn’t expired. You can create a new FSA ID or recover a forgotten one at https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/when-trying-create-new-account-ssn-already-in-use.
How Do I Find My FSA ID and Password?
An FSA ID is a username and password combination used to access various federal student aid websites, including FAFSA.
If you’ve forgotten your FSA ID or password, you can retrieve them at the Federal Student Aid website.
Can I Delete a FAFSA Account?
Currently, there’s no option to directly delete a FAFSA account.
However, you can essentially achieve the same outcome by letting your existing account become inactive.
Since FAFSA accounts are linked to FSA IDs, you can simply not use your FSA ID for several years.
After a period of inactivity, your FSA ID will expire, effectively rendering your FAFSA account inaccessible.
If you need to create a new FAFSA account in the future, you can simply create a new FSA ID.
While an inactive FAFSA account won’t affect your current financial aid, it’s still good to remember to create a new account and submit a FAFSA application each year you seek federal student aid.