Graduate Financial Aid
Get funding for your next big step
Types of Aid
How to Apply for Financial Aid
Step 1: Obtain a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID
Before you can do anything else, you must obtain an FSA ID, which is an Electronic Signature for both Student and Parent(s) if dependent.
You need an FSA ID when logging into certain Department of Education websites. Create an FSA ID now.
Remember: An email address can be associated with only one FSA ID. Why? The FSA ID electronically signs documents such as loan promissory notes (which establish the binding legal obligation for the loan debt). Therefore, it is extremely important that any communications related to those documents or that FSA ID go to the correct person.Â
Similarly, make sure you don’t let anyone else know your FSA ID or create it for you because you’ll be putting yourself at risk of identity theft or — at the very least — not knowing how to sign into your account.
Watch this video to learn how to create an FSA ID.
The FSA ID process consists of three main steps:
- Enter your login information.
Provide your email address and a unique username and password. - Enter your personal information.
Provide your Social Security Number, name, and date of birth.
Include your mailing address, email address, telephone number, and language preference. For security purposes, provide and create answers to five challenge questions. - Submit your FSA ID information.
Agree to the terms and conditions.
Verify your email address. (This is optional but helpful. By verifying your email address, you can use your email address as your username when logging into certain Department of Education websites. This verification also lets you retrieve your username or reset your password without answering challenge questions.)
Step 2: File Your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Students must complete the FAFSA every year.
- The FAFSA is available online.
- Log in with your FSA ID.
- This web application automatically prompts applicants to enter all required fields and questions any discrepant data. Renewal applicants may access their Renewal FAFSA at this site using their FSA ID.
University of Lynchburg uses your FAFSA data to determine your eligibility for institutional aid.
Future Act Direct Data Exchange (FADDX)
The 2024-2025 FAFSA and beyond will use the Future Act Direct Data Exchange (FADDX) instead of the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to receive Federal Tax Information from the Internal Revenue Service. Each contributor (student and parent(s)) must give consent for this information to be retrieved by FAFSA. Otherwise, you cannot complete the FAFSA and be evaluated for federal financial aid eligibility.
*If you only wish to receive merit aid, you do not need to complete the FAFSA.
Step 3: Keep Track of Your Financial Aid with Financial Aid Online
Financial Aid Online allows you to:
- Access your financial aid at any time, from any location.
- Check the status of your application.
- View a list of documents we’ve received from you and a list of missing information.
- View your financial aid award(s).
- Accept or decline your financial aid award(s).
- View your student loan history.
- Check the status of your student loans for the current year.
Login Instructions
To access our online system, please visit fa.lynchburg.edu and then follow these instructions:
- Click on the First Time User link in the login box. You will be prompted to enter your Financial Aid Web ID (you’ll receive your Web ID from the Financial Aid Department).
- If you have logged in before, enter your Financial Aid Web ID — if you have forgotten your password, click the Forgot Your Password link.
- Update your account.
- Select and answer two security questions. You will answer these questions if you forget your login information.
- Change or create your password, following these specifications:
- Must be at least 9 characters long.
- Must contain at least one upper case and one lower case character.
- Must contain at least one number.
- Must contain at least one of these special characters: !@#$%^&*().
