Privacy & Security Information
2004 - 2005 Privacy Act
Thank you for visiting our Web site. Our privacy policy is simple: We collect
no personal information about you unless you choose to provide that information
to us.
Some of our Web pages let you voluntarily submit personal information (such
as e-mail or our online aid application, FAFSA on the Web). Below you will
find information explaining how your information will be safeguarded.
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Non-personal information we record
If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the Web site, read
pages, or download information, our Web site's operating system will automatically
record some general information about your visit.
During your visit, our Web operating system will record:
- The Internet domain for your Internet
service, such as "xcompany.com" or "xcompany.net" if you use a private Internet
access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a college or university
domain.
- The type of browser (such as "Netscape
version X" or "Internet Explorer version X") that you are using.
- The type of operating system that
you use (such as Macintosh, Unix, or Windows).
- The date and time you visit our
site, and the Web pages that you visit on our site.
- The address of the previous Web site
you were visiting, if you linked to us from another Web site.
We use this information for statistical analysis, to help us make our site
more useful to visitors. This tracking system does not record information
about individuals.
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Security and Intrusion Detection
For security purposes and to make sure this service remains available to all
users, we use special software programs for monitoring network traffic to
identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise
to cause damage to this government computer system. These programs collect
no personally identifiable information, but they do collect information that
could help us identify someone attempting to tamper with this Web site.
Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, we make no other attempts
to identify individual users or their usage habits. We only use raw monitoring
data logs for determining trends in usage patterns and in diagnosing system
problems.
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Information from e-mail you
send to us
If you decide to send us an electronic mail message (e-mail, which includes
information you send to Customer Service regarding a problem or feedback you
provide on a Customer Survey), the message will usually contain your return
e-mail address. If you include personally-identifying information in your
e-mail because you want us to address issues specific to your situation, we
may use that information in contacting other federal agencies or our partners
(such as schools, lenders, or state agencies) in connection with your student
aid application or aid awards. In other limited circumstances, including requests
from Congress or other parties, we may be required by law to disclose information
that you submit.
Also, e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If your communication
is very sensitive, or includes personal information such as data from your
tax return or student loan account, you may prefer to send it by postal mail
to:
Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 84
Washington, D.C. 20044
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Information collected if you
complete a form on our Web sites
On this Web site, we offer interactive forms that allow you to apply for financial
aid. When you apply for federal student aid using one of these forms, the
Office of Federal Student Aid is authorized to maintain a record of the transactions
related to your application.
Under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended we are allowed to ask
for the information on this form so that we can determine whether you are
eligible for aid, and, if so, how much. We will share the information with
other agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, to verify the
information you put on the application. If you do not give us all of the information
we need to process your FAFSA, your aid may be delayed or denied. For a complete
description of the information we must tell you under the Privacy Act (Your
Privacy Act Rights), select the Privacy Act link below.
Your Privacy Act
Rights
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State Certification
When you submit this application, you are automatically giving your state
financial aid agency permission to verify information on this form and to
obtain income tax information for all people who are required to report income
on this form.
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Your rights under the Paperwork
Reduction Act
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, you are not required to complete
a government form unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid
OMB control number for the FAFSA and Renewal application is 1845-0001; the
correction form is 1845-0008. It should take you thirty to forty minutes to
complete the FAFSA application, twenty to twenty-five minutes for the Renewal
application, and twenty-one minutes for the correction form, including reading
instructions, gathering information, filling out the application, and reviewing
it. If you have any comments regarding the accuracy of this time estimate
or suggestions for improving this application, please write to:
Federal Student Aid Information Center
P.O. Box 84
Washington, D.C. 20044
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More about privacy and your
student aid records
When you apply for Federal student aid, the Office of Federal Student Aid
Programs is authorized to maintain a record of the transactions related to
your application.
Select
this link to review the System of Records notices, which list the authorized
disclosures and the safeguards for the Office of Federal Student Aid Program
systems under the Privacy
Act of 1974, as amended.
If you have authorized us to share your financial aid information with state
agencies or the schools that you are thinking of attending, they will also
store that information (often in electronic form). State agencies and schools
also collect other information relating to financial aid payments, admission,
enrollment, etc. The privacy of these records is protected by the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
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